


The In-Betweens

by e_noir



Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Devildom politics, F/M, Female!OC - Freeform, Fluff, Hurt and comfort, I'll add tags as I go along, M/M, Multi, OC, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Third person with perspective
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:34:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23732434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/e_noir/pseuds/e_noir
Summary: Crystal is unwillingly transported in Devildom. She learns to dance with demons and dance they shall.A Canon-compliant fic with a heavy-serving of perspective.
Relationships: Diavolo/Lucifer (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Main Character/Mammon (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Mammon (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 23





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first published fic and my first contribution to the fandom yay!!! Please be patient with me as I am very new to this whole thing. This started out as a very self-indulging fic; Canon OM! is too convenient for me hahaha ;;; I'm making this up as I go along too; this fic is a sudden burst of passion!
> 
> I hope you will like my work and keep supporting me. Thank you for reading!
> 
> Only the first chapter would go with the first episode's lines.

“She’s here!”

“Finally.”

Crystal felt her body gradually lose feeling of itself, starting from her toes to her scalp, and now she’s hearing muffled voices. This must be a vivid dream she’s sleeping into or a new ASMR video might be playing. Her bed felt cold but she continued to sleep and nuzzle her stuffed toy. 

“Is it… sleeping?”

“I believe so it seems.”

“Ah, her pillow is transported too. How cute.”

“Is that even possible?”

It’s cold and hard, a bit dusty. Crystal sniffed and clenched her eyes more. Her hand starts feeling up for the blanket, feeling cold stone, cement, leather, shoe.

_ Shoe? _

Her eyes opened slowly and stared at her hand touching an immaculately shined military boot. The cold stone registering as a floor, military boot registering to a man. No. Three men. Crystal gasped and immediately sat up, clinging to the pillow on her chest. The earbuds in her ear beeped a disconnecting sound.

Two of the men were towering--- intimidating, donning coats and staring at her with unnaturally colored eyes. Both are wearing smiles, but only one was truly amused. The third, smaller man is off to the side, his hand on his chest.  _ A butler? _

“Welcome to Devildom, Crystal.” The taller one with the red coat and darker burgundy hair said. “You’re a bit shocked, but that’s understandable. You’ve only just arrived, after all.” The butler held out a hand for her. She stared at it, still in shock. “As a human, it will probably take a while for you to adjust to things here in the Devildom.” he continued.

“I-..” she looked around, her eyes flicking around wildly. “Do you guys have a clock? This is a dream, right?” her voice was filled with confusion and fear. There were not only three men watching her, there was a whole table of them. Crystal huddled even closer to herself.

The tall one in red laughed, truly amused by the whole scenario. “What a very human thing to say,” he hummed.  _ Are they not humans?  _ “This is good, I have a feeling you're the perfect person we’ve been looking for.”

“I suppose I should start by introducing myself; my name is Diavolo--”  _ ah, demons then…?  _ “I am the ruler of all demons, and  _ all _ here know of me.” His face turned serious and addressed the room. “And someday soon, I will be crowned king of Devildom.” His large hand motioned to a balcony behind her, she whipped her head to follow. Ever since she woke up, the adrenaline had been rushing, readying her to flee any moment; demons be damned.  _ Especially _ , because these are demons.

The balcony opened to a city of sorts; houses and buildings lit with lights and faint glows of green and orange, a dark castle glowed purple in the distance. Mountains loomed ominously, covered by fog farther off the castle. The sky is dark, speckled with stars. 

“This-- is the Royal Academy of Diavolo. Though, we just call it RAD.” her eyes grew big, taking in as much of the room as she could.  _ This is too detailed to be a dream _ … “You’re standing inside the assembly hall, the very heart of RAD. This is where, we, officers of the student council hold our meetings and conduct our business. I’m the president of the said council.” Diavolo stopped talking, looking at her expectantly. The room’s atmosphere felt like an audience waiting for a show; she just wanted to curl up and die. 

Crystal lifted a hand and slapped herself with it, hard; the sound echoing through the tense room. The demons looked at her surprised. The hand remained on her reddening cheek, she looked around again and took a few deep breaths. This is not a dream, if the stinging sensation was any more proof.

Clearing her throat, she spoke warily. “Why am I here.” The question came out more demanding if it wasn’t for the forced-down shakiness in her tone. 

“I will explain everything to you.”

The other equally towering demon spoke. He has deep red eyes and black hair that is parted to the side, his coat black with a sash of a red cloth sewn on the right. An official looking badge glimmered when it caught light. This demon has his arms crossed and looked very serious, if not handsome.

Diavolo chuckled. “Crystal, this is Lucifer. He is a demon and the Avatar of Pride.”  _ Thanks for bringing up that he’s a demon too.  _ She thought, glancing over to Lucifer. “He is also the vice president of the student council and my right-hand man, not just in title I assure you. Beyond that, he’s also my most trusted friend!” he smiled to Lucifer who continued to stare down at the human.

“Flattery will get you nowhere Diavolo.” Lucifer said with a frown. The human wondered what could’ve been their implied relationship. Lucifer then continued with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“Speaking on behalf of the entire student body at this great and storied school of ours,” he extended a gloved hand to her “I offer you a most heartfelt welcome, Crystal.”

Cool, gloved hands met shaky, cold ones as Crystal rose up, adjusting her oversized shirt and her grip on the pillow. His eye twitched for a moment. She felt a renewed sense of pride, if these demons truly meant her harm, they would have done so long ago. Even if they want to, they won’t be able to get their way in the presence of their Prince. Crystal met Lucifer’s eyes, the sweat in her hand making it grip Lucifer's glove.

“Answer my question.” her voice cut through the hollow sound of the hall. It was silent for a beat. Thinking she offended the demon, she was about to add  _ please _ when Lucifer spoke again. Her mouth closed immediately.

“...Interesting. This one is quite different from Solomon.” he said not quite rivaling her stare, not quite breaking away from it either. Diavolo laughed and sat down on his designated seat while the butler remained by his side.

“Diavolo believes that we, demons, should start strengthening our relationship with both the human world and the Celestial Realm.”  _ Celestial,... then Angels too?  _ “As a first step toward this goal, we’ve decided to institute an exchange program. We’ve sent two of our students to the human world, and two to the Celestial Realm.” Lucifer let go of her hand and continued. “We’re welcoming four students to our school: two from your world and two from the Celestial Realm.” He paused and gave her a look, tilting his head downwards. “So, I suppose you’ve put two and two together, right?”

_ There’s another human here…! _ Crystal felt some relief wash over her. She won’t be the only human in this damned place and they’ll be sure to get through it together. 

“You’ve been chosen from among the people of the human world to participate in this program of ours; you are our newest exchange student. Your period of stay is one year. You will have to work on tasks that you will receive from RAD. After one year, you will write a paper about your exchange here in Devildom.”

“Tasks?! Paper?!” just when she thought she’d be free from any more school and to think she’d be getting a break in this place...

Lucifer knit his brows and crossed his arms. “You  _ are _ here as an exchange student. Did you really expect to spend your time here fooling around?” Crystal clicked her tongue and narrowed her eyes at his badge.  _ The devil really works hard. _

“Don’t glare at me like that. It’s not like I will abandon you all by yourself here in the Devildom. You need someone to look after you, and I think that someone should be my brother, Mammon.” he gave another one of his smiles. Her frown deepened, she’s going to be passed around to these demons like baggage. It should’ve been expected, being human and all, but how dangerous is this world exactly? And how much of the citizens agree to this?

“Mammon is… how should I put it…?” he held his chin and sighed.  _ That bad, huh.  _ “Oh well, you’ll understand soon enough.” Lucifer handed the human a smartphone, a red lock screen flashes when she holds it. “This device is called a D.D.D, and it’s very similar to the cell phones of your world. This will be yours for use as long as you are here.” Crystal felt the phone curiously, opening the lock screen with a swipe. The apps rushed to the homescreen and a pink pastel background took over.

“Now go ahead and try calling Mammon with it.” She gave him a wary look before tapping on the phone icon and scrolling to find numbers in it already. Crystal pressed the goofy-grinned avatar and put the phone in her ear, staring pointedly at the two Demons who watched her with amusement. The call rang 3 times before Mammon answered it.

“Heeey.” he drawled. She expected that this demon would be as intimidating as Diavolo and Lucifer, but from this greeting he sounds as if he could be doing anything else but answer this call. Crystal felt mischievous and decided to try her luck on this Mammon.

“Heeey.” she mimicked, then bit her lip. Lucifer leaned down to her ear, listening in on the conversation. The smell of herbs and soap flooded to her nose as she blushed from the proximity.

“Are ‘ya foolin’ around? Who the hell are ya?” he replies with more bite. Crystal flushed again, his voice sounded good, even with the lax accent and vocal fry.

“I’m a human.” 

“Huuuh? A human? Geez, I was gettin; all chilly here thinkin’ it was Lucifer again. ‘Ya should’ve told me right away.” he clicked his tongue.  _ Huh--’again?’ _ “So, what business does a human got with  _ the  _ Mammon?” 

Crystal bit her lip again and thought: if he’s going to be my guardian then might as well make it worth it, right?

“Let’s be friends.” Will this end in a contract?

“Huh… What’re ‘ya even sayin’?” She was about to open her mouth when he cut her off with his eureka moment. “I get it now! You’re the human, the new exchange student!”

“Eh…. G’luck with that, see yaaa.”  _ Dammit, he’s gonna end the call...! _

“Lucifer called for you.” she said, looking over Diavolo and Lucifer. Diavolo gave a thumbs-up.

“Pfft , whatever.” he said dismissively, she scowled. “‘Ya think  _ the  _ Mammon would listen to ‘ya just ‘cause you’re tryin’ to scare me with  _ that _ name?” his voice grew louder, a bit more intimidating. Sweat rolled off her cheek. Lucifer tilted his head and she felt his breath on her fingers.

“You’ve got 10 seconds...9...8…” his voice felt like honey to the ears. Goddamn.

“Oh Hell, oh fuck, yesser, ON MY WAY!” a panicked Mammon, some rustling, and the call ended. The human gave a successful grin to the two demons. “Sounds like you had a nice chat.” Lucifer said, walking over to his seat beside Diavolo.

“He seems… reliable.” she tried.  _ Demon brother guardian be damned, I would just have to find my fellow human and survive a year and it’s going to be over. I can go back to my life, a year off is nothing. _

Lucifer gave her blank stare and a perfectly arched eyebrow. “You really think so?” Crystal felt herself shrink under his look, she gripped her pillow.

“Well, if you were suddenly brought to a strange place and then get told that an unfamiliar face will now take care of you, you’d certainly feel anxious.” Diavolo interjected. “However, Mammon won’t be the only one to help you out. We still need to introduce our new friend to your brothers, Lucifer. It’s probably better you do that, instead of me, wouldn’t you say?”

Lucifer’s frown deepened. “I suppose. As much as I dread the idea of doing so…”

“Oh, come now. Really? You should be honored that you get to introduce such a sweet and charming little brother like me!” A demon with wavy strawberry-blonde hair and light yellow eyes spoke up. He(?) scanned her body with narrowed eyes and a sly smile.

“This one here is Asmodeus, he’s the fifth eldest. He’s the Avatar of Lust.” said Lucifer with an exasperated tone.

“Wha- I can’t  _ believe _ you just totally ignored what I said! Not only that, you referred to me as  _ this one _ . How rude!” Asmodeus pouted. A blonde haired demon sighed.

“At least he didn’t out-right ignore you, how do you think _I_ feel?” she gave him a once over, looking in his turquoise eyes. The human thought his eyes didn’t match what he’s truly saying. Even so, she can’t deny her thing for blondes.

“That one is Satan, the fourth eldest of us. At first glance he looks like a responsible demon with a good head on his shoulders, but looks can be deceiving.”

“Ah, so I’m  _ that _ one, am I? Nice to meet you, Crystal. I am Satan, the Avatar of Wrath.” he smiled and held out a hand. Like Lucifer, his smile never seemed to reach his eyes. Crystal shook his hand, both giving a firm grip.

“So, avatars… the 7 deadly sins, huh?” 

“It basically sums up what each demon represents. He may flash you a pretty smile like that, but you had better be careful because it's all an  _ act _ .” Lucifer explans, glaring pointedly at him. Satan’s eyes became more ominous as he continued to smile and put a hand on his chest.

“If you continue to say such nonsense, you’ll just  _ scare _ her.” He turned to her as glowing purple smoke floated from his figure. Crystal swallowed and hugged her pillow. “Lucifer enjoys speaking  _ ill _ of his brother. He  _ is  _ the Avatar of Pride, after all.”

“Are you quite done?” Lucifer sighed, growing more exasperated. Satan leaned back on his chair and glowered in Lucifer’s direction.

“Now, the one with a grumpy look on his face is Beelzebub. He’s the sixth oldest.” Crystal looked over to Beelzebub, another towering figure with bright orange messy hair and purple eyes. His face seems to be set on an eternal frown, less elegant than Lucifer’s. Asmodeus and Satan’s uniform were pristine and formal, Beelzebub’s was not. The sleeves of his coat and button-up uniform are rolled. The shirt under his coat is unbuttoned, showing an orange t-shirt. 

“Lucifer I’m hungry.” 

“That’s too bad. Now behave yourself.” Lucifer tutted. She forced down a snicker, keeping a curt smile. A loud growl echoed through the room coming from Beelzebub, or rather, his stomach.

“I’m Beelzebub, the Avatar of Gluttony.”  _ ah, that explains it.  _ Crystal gave him a nod.

“So, there are seven of us brothers in all, I am the eldest.” The tired vibe is replaced by pride. “Mammon, the second oldest of us, will be here soon. My other brothers aren’t here at the moment, but… well… we can get to them later. All in good time.” he finished.

Pride, Lust, Wrath and Gluttony were present. Crystal thought which would Mammon be; Sloth? Envy? Greed? It wouldn’t be so bad if he was Sloth, then maybe get away with sleeping her year away.

“During your stay in the Devildom, the seven brothers will lend you their strength. To keep you safe, you are to stay with them at the House of Lamentation.” Diavolo spoke.

“To keep me safe?” She already knew that this place is just teeming with beings out for blood, its  _ Devil _ dom for fuck’s sake. She would at least want to know how much and what type of danger she is shoved in. Judging from the fact that it’s the Avatars of the Sins slash student council keeping tabs on her...

Crystal wondered if she would still spend her afterlife here.

“Most agree with Diavolo, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t vulgar demons out there who would harm you. If anything were to happen to you, it would be our responsibility.” Lucifer explained. He frowned and continued. “And I won’t betray Diavolo’s expectations. So, I will do everything in my power to make sure you survive your stay down here in Devildom.”

_ Survive, huh. _ A human living with demons, some of which may have questionable loyalties. Crystal felt sick, she just wanted this to be over with. 

“Although we will all be living together, you should still have the means to reach us at any given time. As you saw earlier, our numbers are already in there. Your D.D.D also has a messaging app. Make sure to add all of us.”

“I’ll go ahead and send you a message!” Diavolo quipped, pulling out his own phone. He leaned back and narrowed his eyes, pressing on his phone letter by letter with his index finger.

“Isn’t that nice, Crystal. Now you will be friends with the future king of the Devildom!” Satan smiled, typing out a message. The rest of the demons in the room do so too.  _ It seems they really thought this through, I can’t just escape. _

Her phone beeped, the messages from each demon flooding in. Crystal tapped appropriate responses for each. She glanced back at the demons to gauge their responses, they seemed pleased enough except for Beelzebub who’s hunger is thoroughly troubling him. Thoughts of being eaten by the orange-haired beast of a demon made her shiver. Her eyes landed on Asmodeus who gave a flirty wink, she blushed and looked back down on the phone.

“Well, you’ve got that done now, and it seems the idiot has arrived as well.” Lucifer crossed his arms and glared at the huge doors. There was a loud BANG that made the high-strung human jump and squeak. Satan looked at her, amused.

“HEY! Just who do you think ‘ya are, human? You’ve got a lotta nerve summoning the Great Mammon!” A demon with tanned skin, messy white hair, and equally messy uniform strode over to her. Crystal backed away a few steps, adrenaline rushing over her again. “Listen up, because I’m only gonna say this once. If you value your life then you’ll hand over  _ all _ of your money,  _ NOW _ ! And anything else of value too!” Mammon pointed. She kept the pillow close to her, her bare heels raised and ready to make a run for it. This was no Sloth or Envy and this didn’t sound like the laid-back punk wanna-be she heard in the call. The sick feeling in her stomach resurfaced again. 

“Otherwise, I’ll-”

“I don’t even have anything on me! I was spirited away here!” she forced herself to humor him, he didn’t have the same glowing purple menace that Satan had earlier. But again, she couldn’t be too careful.

“I don’t care! I’ll wipe that arrogant look right off, by eating  _ you _ !” Mammon became more furious, getting in on her closer and closer. If anything else, she would think that he’s sniffing her. His voice got deeper, almost growling. “Startin’ at your head and working my way down, until-”

“Mammon, shut up or I’ll punch you!” Lucifer shouted, heading over to hit Mammon in the head anyway.

“GAH! Oww! Hey, I thought you were actually letting me shut up before punching me!” He whined as he held the spot where Lucifer punched him. This is the demon assigned to her, she’d just have to accept it. Satan pulled out a chair for her to sit on and motioned her over. She thanked him as she sat down and adjusted her night shirt to hide her underwear. 

“Crystal, Mammon here is the Avatar of Greed. He  _ governs _ and oversees  _ all _ forms of it. Whenever he takes a liking to someone, they suddenly find themselves awash with wealth.” Satan helpfully filled-in. “But from what I hear, if he decides to break it off with someone, that wealth evaporates. They’re left without a Grimm to their name.”

_ Grimm must be the currency here then, _ Crystal thought. An idea of escape through bribery forms in her head before it was popped by Asmodeus.

“Aaand! He’s also a masochist.” He smiled, placing a painted finger to his mouth. “That part’s important.”

“Indeed. And it just so happens I have a job for my masochist brother.”

“Y’all stop telling lies! I ain’t asked for that punch, and I  _ ain’t _ a masochist!” Mammon protested. It seemed that the white-hair demon was the butt of their jokes, despite being the second oldest. Crystal relaxed in her seat a bit, maybe- just maybe- this demon is all bark no bite.

“Mammon,  _ you _ are going to be in-charge of seeing to this human’s needs during the whole exchange. I expect your full cooperation.” Lucifer drawls, putting the right amount of threat in the words.

“What?! Why me?!” Mammon huffed.

“Aww, lucky you, Mammon! I’m so jealous…” Asmodeus whined, placing his chin on his palm.

“All right, then why don’t  _ you _ do it, Asmodeus?!” 

“Hell no! Too lazy.” the strawberry-blonde huffed.

“I thought you said you were jealous of me?!”

Crystal stared at the dark, varnished wood of the grand table, feeling like a toy to be passed around. A charity-work for these cunts; a rescued pig in a house of humans. Her head was starting to hurt from lack of sleep, hunger, and stress. They’d probably give her a shitty cupboard room under the stairs for her room; plans of escape ran through her mind again. These plans needed to be thought of thoroughly, so that she won’t ever come back to this damned situation ever. However, being on the run from demons her whole life may not be the best idea either.

_ I got a whole year to think this through. Calm down. _

“Give it up, Mammon. There’s no way out of this.” Satan said beside her, shaking his head. “You know you can’t refuse a direct order for Lucifer.”

“But why does it have to be me?! Why can’t Beel do it?”

Asmodeus clicked his tongue. “Clearly, we can’t give this job to Beel. We might as well ask him to  _ devour  _ this human.” 

“Mm, yeah. Can’t promise I wouldn’t.” Beel piped up, sounding bored.

“You’re useless, you know that!” Mammon shouted over to his brother.

_ If there is a god, please. _ They might have called her name once for the sake of it, but being called ‘the human’ for the rest of the term isn’t very humanizing. Crystal closed her eyes and willed herself to bear through it; most of her fear is now replaced by exhaustion and misery. Her fingers caressed the soft folds of her pillow as she continued to calm herself.

“Mammon.” Finally, a voice of reason, Lucifer.

“Wh-what.” Mammon’s loud voice became audibly smaller.

“Surely, you’re not going to object to this arrangement, are you?” Lucifer had a dark look on his face, the same purple smoke steaming from his back. Mammon visibly gulped down any protests.

“Ugh, I hate ‘ya guys. Every single one o’ya! Fine, I’ll do it okay!” he growled as he approached the human’s seat and pulled the back of it to force her to stare up at him. Crystal squeaked and tucked her legs in the cushion as she was tilted hastily, her sweaty hands clutching her pink pillow for dear life. 

“Alright human, listen up. As much as I don’t wanna look after ‘ya, I’ve got no choice. It’s a huge pain in the ass and I’m too important for this.” He huffed again. Lucifer gave a loud sigh while Diavolo chuckled. “But in return, ‘ya better make sure ‘ya don’t cause me any trouble, got it?!” Mammon warned, getting close to her face.

“All right, deal.” Her wide eyes clearly betrayed her calm and direct voice. It wasn't bad to put up a facade here for now,  _ don’t let them know how you feel _ .

“Good, that’s what I wanna hear. As long as ‘ya do as I say, we won’t have any problems.” He finally pushes the seat back down, satisfied with her answer. “Just be sure ‘ya don’t forget which one of us is the boss here.”

Lucifer nodded, satisfied with the agreement. “Right, now that we have decided who will take care of you, on to the subject of your tasks.” 

“Tasks,... so there will be tests?” she gave him a slow, tired blink.

“Good question, yes there will be tests. But that's only part of your real objective here; to groom your soul nicely and to acquire the power to resist demons.” 

“My soul?”

“Demons like humans with nice souls. Let me put it in another way. Nice souls look like shiny jewels, do you understand now? Demons will use their wit and abilities to tempt a human so they can get their hands on their souls. Demons in RAD also have tasks like you. In other words, either humans will be tempted by demons, or demons will lose against the shiny and noble soul of a human and make a run for it. You could say it’s an experiment to find out who will win.” Lucifer gave his signature smile. 

Crystal’s face soured, she’s expected to groom herself to be waved over as the tastiest bait to  _ demons _ . It’s like fighting through a pack of hungry predators when you’re tiny prey; why in the world was she picked as the guinea pig for this?! Of course, she might as well win--

_ Despite everything _ .

“What happens if I win?” She met Lucifer eye’s again; not quite challenging him, not quite backing down. His eyes flashed, dangerously amused.

“Let’s see… I will prepare some rewards to make sure you give it your all.” the human gave him a scandalized look. “There, there, don’t give me that look. Just a few things to help you in your everyday life. You won’t have to do those tasks alone. After all, you don’t have any magic in you unlike the  _ other _ exchange student from your world…”

The other human apparently has magic, she was more vulnerable than they could ever be. Crystal made a mental note to find and befriend the other human immediately, as much as she hated relying on other people for help this world is unfamiliar and out for her.

“...so my brothers and I will lend you our power to you and you alone.” he stated, a bit of contempt leaked from his voice. “To see is to believe, why don’t you give those tasks in your D.D.D a try?”

Crystal fiddled with the phone again and tapped on the app of Your Tasks. It seems to resemble the human equivalent of Blackboard with the tasks varying from academic to devilishly mundane (virtual fights?). Her current wealth displays a small 50,000 in the corner. Other details like academic standing, progress level, and class schedule could be found at the side. A notification titled Karasu popped and started her tutorial of the device and its applications.

The first task is her very first virtual fight which she thought is just a visual presentation of the fighting chance each party has. This magic that Lucifer mentioned might be the points her current standing has. The Karasu asked her to tap on the respective power-ups and use the skill when necessary. It also asked her to level and rank herself up often so she could finish her tasks with a higher grade. Crystal blinked, she didn’t think demons would be so serious about their education; going as far as to make it accessible to students. Whatever the case is, it meant she could attend class less and limit her interaction with any of the demons. Her finger hovered over her To-Do app, stopping with her thoughts. She refuses to do anything half-assed, even if everything will make her miserable here. The app opened when her finger lightly brushed on the screen, highlighting the done task and the reward. Crystal decided that she would do her best here, despite everything. She has to prove them wrong and come out of this place alive.

Tap. tap.

_ Despite everything.  _

Tap. tap.

Diavolo chuckled. “I didn’t know clearing Tasks and getting rewards would require so much concentration.”

“Eh? Looks more like spite to me.” Asmodeus drawled, twirling a strand of his hair in his finger. “It seems like Satan is going to get along with this nerd human.”

“There’s nothing wrong with finishing tasks and learning more, right Crystal?”

“Mm.” she hummed, pretending to be immersed in the device. She’s had enough interaction with these demons and flying off the balcony is becoming a more welcome idea by the minute. An intense stare from Lucifer bore through her head, she ignored it. 

“I’m sure you must be tired, Crystal. Your classes start tomorrow, for now, you should take your rest.” he said curtly. “See you tomorrow. Mammon!”

“Yeah, yeah. C’mon human I’ll show ‘ya ‘round.” Crystal heard her earphones beep, booting down.

“I’ll see you all tomorrow.” she mumbled, not meeting anyone’s eyes. Crystal followed Mammon out of the room, her bare feet making soft tapping sounds on the smooth stoned floor. The big wooden door closed behind them, leaving the 4 demon brothers, Diavolo, and Barbatos the butler.

“Well, she is quite something.” Diavolo started.

“Did you see when she slapped herself?!” Asmodeus laughs. “Is she a masochist? If so, then she and Mammon wouldn’t have a hard time getting along!”

“From what I’ve read, humans do pinch or slap themselves to wake up from a dream.” Satan replied. “She really couldn’t believe a place like this exists.”

“Poor thing, scared out of her wits. She’s even scared of Mammon--- Mammon!” Asmodeous exclaimed, waving his arms dramatically. “You could feel her fear from over here. If Mammon raised his voice any louder, she would’ve bolted to hell-knows-where.”

“Are you sure of this, Diavolo? That she’s the right human for this?” Lucifer asked, while rubbing the crease on the middle of his eyebrows. He normally didn’t have a problem figuring people out, but this human…

“I’m quite sure she is! She might be terrified now, but she’ll adjust just fine. Based on experience, that fear would be enough to keep her in-line. Either way,” The burgundy-haired demon smiled at Lucifer’s direction. “I’m sure you’ll do your best to make sure this program is successful, right Lucifer?”

This human may have passed in their eyes to be meek, twitchy, and weak, but Lucifer saw her moments when she managed to collect herself. Once faced by a challenge--- a threat--- she would look at it in the eyes and face it head-on. That look she gave him, while maybe have been just for show,

Lucifer knows better.

“Yes, Diavolo.” he says, suppressing a sigh. “You heard what I said earlier; I’ll do everything in my power to make sure she is alive during her stay here in Devildom and RAD.”

“That’s reassuring. Thank you, Lucifer.” Diavolo reached for his hand under the table. Lucifer tapped his knuckle.

“That’s nice and all, but I’m really hungry and the human is gone now.” Beelzebub butts in, a hand on his loud stomach.

Lucifer let out the sigh.

“Okay RAD student council, dismissed!” Diavolo waved, as he stepped out of his chair to leave. Barbatos bowed as the rest of the demons left.


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her room; solace.

“Ow!”

“Watch your step, there’re thorns on the grass.”

“You could’ve warned me earlier.” The human mumbled.

“What?” Mammon turned to her as she paused to rub her foot. Humans are stupidly weak compared to demons, taking care of one would take up much of his time. He can’t be bothered to have a responsibility, especially now he has a lot of _clients_ to slip away from.

“I _said_ the more the merrier, and maybe I’d die from these thorns so I wouldn’t have to do any of this.” She huffed. And he had to be shouldered with a whiny, difficult human. Earlier in the assembly hall, the human looked like a bunny under a hungry tiger. But now she is puffing and pursing her lips. This human should feel honored that she’s under the care of the _second_ strongest demon in RAD…!

Anyway, Mammon didn’t have the time for this. He’s under three witches and under more countless debts, he doesn’t have the room for a human investment. Maybe he could just get away with just showing her the ropes in RAD, after all, Miss ‘huff-n-puff’ looked like she could handle herself.

“Shuddup. Whatever. Those thorns grow naturally with the grass here. S’not poisonous or nothin’,” He grumbled, continuing to Lamentation. The human finally caught up behind him, clicking her tongue when stepping on the grass. A few more minutes of trudging around in the dense shrubbery and trees, a big, family house with iron gates appeared in a clearing.

“This, human, is the House of Lamentation.” Mammon says, as he gestures to the building that looked like it came out from a cartoon horror episode. “Make sure ‘ya remembered the way ‘cause I’m not chaperonin’ you in-an’-out of RAD for the whole year!” 

“I have a name you know.”

“Whatever! Let’s go inside so ‘ya won’t step on anythin’.” He opened the wooden doors to reveal the gothic but cleaner interior of the dormitory. Stone stairs with gargoyles come up from each wall of the lobby, walls covered with purple wallpaper and black lace designs. The carpet under her feet was soft and warm, so much better than stingy grass and sharp stone. Crystal couldn’t help but wiggle her toes on the surface.

“MAAAAAMMOOOOOOOON!!” A voice rang through the left wing of the house. Mammon visibly straightened up, looking for an escape. She grabbed his wrist before he could run.

“Oi! No touch-”

“Ah! Bring me to my room first.” She is way too tired to feel fear from him, the quicker she could get to a bed, the quicker they could go about on their own business.

“There you are Mammon, now, pay up!!” A violet-haired demon with human clothes strode over to the pair. Mammon snatched his hand away only to be grabbed again by the other demon. 

“Levi! My dear baby brother!” A smooth talker, huh. “Listen, ‘ya greatest big bro is currently in a bit’o a pinch. Give me more time, eh? We live in the same place anyway, no need to chase me down.”

“More time?! It’s been 200 years, Mammon!” Levi growled. “You’re making this harder than it should be, just pay up! I need that money to buy the limited edition Harry Potter modern collection!”

“I know, I know, jus’-”

“And who are you even bringing in Lamentation anyway? Wait, no don’t tell me-”

At this point, Crystal is bone-deep exhausted and just let the waves of fate drift her wherever. This Levi could think of whatever he wants; if the relationship he assumes she is to Mammon protects her. then she’d take it.

“N-NO! Uh- no!” Mammon blushed. “A-Anyway! ‘Ya really are a shut-in aren’t ‘ya? Fuckin’ otaku. This is the other human exchange student Lucifer had been callin’ us on about. Get outta ‘ya hobbit for a change, yeah?”

“Hi.”

“You have no room to insult me! And being an otaku isn’t even an insult, I take _pride_ in it! You, however-” Levi glared at Mammon, vibrant orange-purple eyes peeked under his bangs. The familiar purple smoke rose from his back. “You’re the biggest, most _awful_ scum, a waste of space! Money-grubbing disgustingly, greedy cunt! Slinking dumb-ass! PAY! ME!”

Crystal resists rolling her eyes. She’d better step in before this escalates to a full-fight or else she would never be able to find her room in this mansion. This brother mentioned the Harry Potter series, maybe she could make a diversion.

Mammon owed her one. He better pay up.

“H-hey Levi, I heard you like Harry Potter?” she tried, giving him a nervous smile. The purple smoke disappeared instantly as Levi looked at the human in surprise. “What house were you sorted in Pottermore? I’m a Slytherin.”

“Me?”

“Mhhm!” _Ah, he’s awkward._

“Uh, I’m in Slytherin too. Being the Avatar of Envy and all. I’m Leviathan by the way, third eldest.” He reached out a hesitant hand and looked away. Crystal took it and gave a more sincere smile. Finally, something to ground her sanity. A demon with human media-otaku tendencies, maybe they could share some common interests…? Maybe a friend…?

“I wasn’t able to finish the books but I binged the movies. I personally liked the third movie: Prisoner of Azkaban. Besides from the twist, the cinematic quality is unparalleled to the other movies.” she continued, hoping to finally make a connection.

“Movies? Pfft, what a normie.” Her eye twitched. “Sooo overrated. Anyway, I’ll let it pass since you clearly have _some_ taste. Prisoner of Azkaban _is_ honestly the best produced one, they managed to tell the whole tale while keeping everything in a time frame and not losing the dignity of the book.”

“You know, the funny thing is-” Crystal’s eyes glanced to the side.

Mammon’s gone.

“Ugh, he’s _gone_! He’s supposed to show me to my room!” she buried her face in her hands, pinning her pink pillow by her bicep and chest. “I just want to rest. I was snatched away from my peaceful sleep-- my peaceful, manageable life, to be put in hell! Literally! I’m so-” Crystal let out a groan, her frustration bubbling over before she could keep it in check. Pinpricks of frustration bloomed in her chest, making her throat tight and her eyes water. Index finger dug in the skin between the thumb and hand. This wasn’t where she planned to have her first breakdown; in-front of the Avatar of Envy by the lobby of the dorm.

“H-Hey, I could show you your room if you want. Let’s talk more of HP, okay?’ Levi suggested awkwardly, leaning down to look at her face. The human’s face is red and pinched, she sniffed and nodded. They started walking together, climbing the first set of stone stairs. The cool from the surface eased her frustration and increased the ache in her legs.

“You were saying something funny?”

“Ah, well. When I started with the HP books, I honestly thought Prisoner of Azkaban was the first book, I was so confused.” 

The pair continued to converse about the series while Crystal tried to memorize her way through. Further inside the mansion, the gothic and stone theme continued but the place was no means dark. In fact, it was well-lit by candles and lamps. Terrifying paintings with grand golden frames decorated the walls of the house while intricate carvings spiraled the fixtures. The pair walked through a hallway lined with red carpet on the floor and doors on the walls. This hallway also has an arched opening that leads to some courtyard or garden of sorts. Levi paused on one of the doors.

“Uhm, this is my room.”

“...okay?”

“I mean! If you want to talk more about HP and other stuff, here’s my room.” Levi rubbed his neck, looking away. “Anyway! Your room is that door over there.” 

“Thanks, Levi.” Crystal proceeded to walk to her door when Levi called.

“Hey.” She turns to him, the purple-haired demon looking down at the doorknob. “Don’t mind Mammon, okay? He’s dirtbag scum, you can’t depend on him for anything. I-... I had fun talking to you.” 

“Okaythanksbye!” his door slammed. Crystal jerked back then shrugged. She felt a small smile tug her lips upwards, she’s finally- _fucking finally_ alone! 

Crystal opened her door to a dark purple room with the same candle-lights and lamps that littered the house. The room is by no means small; A twin bed with vines and other weird plants crawled and curled over the posts and ceiling. A big arched window with iron dividers on her left spanned the whole height of the room. A plain, wooden table with 4 chairs sat further at the back with a bookshelf of the same size behind it. A frosted, flower designed glass door led to the bathroom. She stepped inside the enchanting room, settling on the soft, fur rug in the middle. The closet was on the other corner of the room, with a matching wooden divider folded on the side. 

Crystal couldn’t help her giggles as she ran and crashed her face onto her soft, white bed, inhaling the fragrance of the unfamiliar plants intertwining with the furniture. A happy sigh escaped her lips as she finally exhaled most of the stress from her system. Crystal removed her earbuds and placed them on the nightstand on the bottom of her bed, wondering if Bluetooth connection is even available in Devildom. Legs and hands shuffled immediately to tuck herself in for sleep. 

As soon as she settled in, she found herself unable to sleep. Groaning, she tried to stuff her face with her pink pillow; sniffing the familiar smell of her old life. As comfortable as her bed was, thoughts ran through her head as she recalled what happened earlier. Her skepticism ran ahead of her as she tried to read under the lines of whatever memory she replayed.

Crystal had been starting on her witchcraft journey before she was whisked to _Demonlandia_ ; she had read a bit of everything here and there. There was this particular statement with Demons in witchcraft, symbolizing bad commitments and gone-wrong deals. Lucifer clearly didn’t lie about their character, though she could only wonder where everyone’s loyalties would lie. Curious eyes scanned over her shrubby ceiling, sleep already foregoing her. 

Spirited away in hell with just what she has (an oversize dress t-shirt, her pink pillow, Bluetooth earphones and glasses) isn’t exactly enough to make her survive. Crystal had a thorough routine back in her world, she needed so many products just to maintain a glamour of sorts. She _had_ been planning to escape her current life, change her name and cut all connections to live in a house by the woods and do fuck-all, but she didn’t ask for this escape. 

_Out of the pot into the fires of hell_.

Throwing away the thick duvet, she sat on the edge of her bed running her fingers in her scalp. They just had to drag on that meeting and make her lose sleep momentum, aren’t they powerful enough to summon her on this bed? She glanced at the closet, wondering if there’s anything in the storage of this room. Crystal went over the closet and slowly opened it, eyebrows raising as she saw her clothes, most of it, and the familiar coat of the RAD uniform. Taking the uniform out, she saw that the slacks were replaced by a skater skirt with a chain on it. The coat was mostly the same, red sash and all, except the badge was gone and replaced by a red arm-band with gold trimmings. They didn’t provide her with an under-shirt, but a red ribbon is tied on the hanger. Crystal figured she’d just use her white button-up as an undershirt. She glanced at the side to see 2 pairs of shoes: soft slip-on and thick-soled high-cut leather boots. 

With the uniform prepared, she glanced out the large window, overlooking a bordered garden. Her hand touched the glass, which rippled and showed her reflection. Her face looked thoroughly miserable and more exhausted than usual. Her finger tapped on the glass and it rippled again to turn back to a window. 

Deciding to explore the bathroom, she slid open the door and revealed a hall that led to another door. The hall had an open cabinet on the left, stacked with towels, robes, hangers, and a clothes basket. On the right was a bigger, lit mirror with a marble surface and a sink. A cabinet was on either side of the marble counter, drawers filled with different toiletries like soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, and creams. Crystal pulled another drawer in the cabinet and saw most of her skin-care and makeup products, exact replicas of it! At the very least she could make herself feel better by looking better. She had no plans on seducing a demon or being thoroughly involved with them; she had no plans to sell her soul.

Shaking the thought off her head, she continued to the other door that led to a bathing room, there is a tub to the side with another cabinet lined with corked glass bottles. A golden shower head jutted over the ceiling, no handle in sight. Curious to tinker with the shower, she steps over and is quickly met by a strong rush of water. A flurry of curses slipped out of her mouth as the freezing cold water drenched her body. She hurriedly stepped off the shower, glaring at the shower head.

Well that was a way to start, she might as well take a bath.

Crystal peeled off her wet garments and placed them in the tub while she chose over the fancy, indistinguishable bottles in the cabinet. Capping off a cream-coloured bottle, she got a whiff of a light floral scent and proceeded to finish her shower. After showering, she stepped out of the bathing room and wrapped herself in one of the soft warm towels. Glancing at the mirror, her reflection looked much better now that she’s refreshed from a bath. Crystal’s teeth chattered as she tried to dry and clothe herself immediately.

After which, she sat down on the bed and checked her device, a message notification popping over in the lock screen: it’s from Leviathan. Ignoring it, she tapped and studied her class schedule. Her first class starts at 9:00 and her last class ends at 15:00 with ample breaks in-between. Fiddling with the phone more, she finally found the alarm and set for 7:00. A message flashed: _alarm rings in 14 hours and 25 minutes_. Perfect, more time to sleep her problems away.

Crystal laid on her bed, continuing to explore the device. Some of the human world apps had a Devildom equivalent; Akuzon and Devilgram to name a few. She downloaded them anyway and made an account using the email that the device gave her. Noticing that the apps have an .apk file type, she decided to download some of the human world apps like Spotify, but forfeit getting a social media app. She logged in with a new account where she immediately filtered her tastes in, her playlists may be gone but she could make new ones easily. Crystal tapped a song in the app and dropped the device as the starting piano notes of _I'm So Tired_ muffled through the duvet. 

Hot tears pricked the corner of her eyes as she drowned her thoughts in the somber sound of the playlist. Her life was about to get harder and all she could think about was surviving, despite everything. At what cost? A chip of her soul? All for pride? She wondered if she’s any better than that demon Lucifer. What was she thinking, not protesting enough to Diavolo? The prince might’ve accepted her complaints and put her back to her bed where everything would’ve stayed as a dream. Any moment outside her room might be her last with these demons. The whole situation almost made her pray to God.

Her sigh became hitched and sobs escaped her lips. Hands shook as she grabbed her pink pillow to curl up and cry. Air wheezed through her lungs as her hiccups and misery bubbled over. Crystal let herself have this moment of weakness, promising to be stronger tomorrow. 

Crystal fell asleep with puffy eyes and tear stained sheets, slow music playing softly in the hollow room.


	3. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her first day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! I don't usually post a chapter unless I have already, at least, drafted the next. Enjoy!

A shrill screaming rang through her room.

Crystal jolted awake looking around ready to run before registering the pain from the noise. It was her alarm. Turning it off, she glanced at the time: exactly 7:00. Puffy, red eyes looked around the room.

Right,  _ Devildom _ .

The sky did not show any signs of change from yesterday afternoon, it was still the same dark sky with stars. Pushing off her duvet, she walked over to the bathroom to refresh herself, starting her day by styling her short, curly hair.

Crystal applied her daily makeup, muttering spells for glamour as she did back in the human world. Once she was satisfied with her look, she went back in the room to fix her bed. As she placed her phone on the nightstand, some glowing symbols slowly drew themselves to form a circle which made her phone light up and charge. She awed at the device--  _ magic? _ \--- then continued to fix her bed. After which, she proceeded to the divider where she hung her prepared uniform. Putting on her clothes for the day, careful to not smudge any makeup on it, she noticed that everything fit perfectly. 

Goosebumps ran through her skin as she felt the cold air of Devildom. She picked out a pair of thick, knee black high socks and garter belts to go with her boots. As she laced her boots, she couldn’t help but wonder if she could go shopping for more clothes once she had the grimm to spare. Can she even bring those clothes back?

She immediately crumpled that thought, there’s no way she’ll be attached to  _ hell _ of all places.

Once she was satisfied with her look, she took her phone and pocketed it in her jacket. Her stomach grumbled, remembering she slept through the night and skipped dinner. It might’ve been for the best, she didn’t want to talk to any more demons. The phone vibrated in her pocket and 5 notifications flashed on the screen: Levi’s text from last afternoon, 1 from Mammon asking her whereabouts, 2 from Lucifer asking her to go down for dinner, and a new one from Mammon again asking her to come down. She was about to reply back to Mammon’s text when his caller ID popped on the screen. Crystal cleared her throat before answering the call.

“Hel-”

“Where the hell were ‘ya?! ‘Ya weren’t answerin’ our texts last night!”

“Ah, sorry. I fell asleep immediately.” she wasn’t really.

“Whatever! Come down to the dinin’ hall quick. Breakfast’s here.” with that the call dropped.

Crystal rolled her eyes before leaving her room to go down. There wasn’t anyone in the hall and it was up to her to find the dining area to grab something to eat before starting her first day at RAD.

Boots tapped on stone, carpet, and wooden floors; she had gone through at least 5 rooms already and she still can’t find the damned dining area. How big is this dorm even supposed to be?! Her hand pressed down on her stomach, willing away the hunger. 

After walking for more than 10 minutes, she stumbled on the familiar staircase she and Levi took going to the rooms. Crystal quickened her pace as she found the familiar entrance hall. Checking the time on her phone, she’s got 20 minutes to get to RAD and find her class, there is no time for breakfast. Hands pushed on the gigantic doors that lead to the shrubbery and forest that she and Mammon trudged over yesterday. 

Finding herself in the familiar grandiose path of the academy, she saw students piling in quickly. Each demon looked devilishly gorgeous in their appearance, despite the weird appendages in some. She also noticed that none of them had the arm-band on their uniform.

It was specifically so she could be weeded out as the human exchange student.

Crystal scowled, this arm-band is just making her more heated in the eyes of these other demons. From what she could remember, the population ratio is dramatically unfair: 2 are angels and 1 other is human, she’ll have to blend in for now. Pulling away the red arm-band, she threw it over one of the bushes and continued her day with an expression to intimidate anyone. Never in life she wanted to have her ears stuffed with punk music to get her through. She was checking her class schedule and room assignment when she heard 3 demons discussing among themselves in the hallway.

“You know, Lord Diavolo  _ did _ say that the other human would come start the first day today.”

“I heard from Asmo that this one didn’t have magic as the other human, Solomon.”

“I really couldn’t care less about Diavolo’s stupid program. We don’t have anything to benefit from this and denying us our nature is just fucking stupid.” the demon kicked the wall as the other two agreed. 

“Hmm, I can’t wait to devour this one. When I see ‘em, they’re grub on sight!” a laugh.

“Do you want to die?! We should keep it first!”

“Fuck that. I’ll have a good meal  _ then _ die, there’s no better way to go out.” 

Fear settled in her stomach and panic started to rise in her. It really was a good idea to ditch that arm-band earlier or else she would’ve been running down these halls already.

_ “So, I will do everything in my power to make sure you survive your stay down here in Devildom.” _

“Power my fucking ass.” she grumbled. These avatar dickheads ain’t shit, babbling all those stuff in front of their Diavolo just to fuck off the moment he’s not looking. Then again, she should’ve expected this. They  _ are _ demons anyway, trusting a demon’s word without any contract to bind them with is a naive mistake. Crystal continued her way down the hall when she felt an arm sneak over her shoulder. She jumped and backed away to see one of the demons that were talking earlier.

“Hey there, little lady.” he purred. “We haven’t seen you ‘round these places.”

Her back hit another firm body, it was one of the other demons. The third demon walked over, effectively surrounding her. Cold creeped in her fingers again as she held her breath.

“Perhaps, you’re new here?”

“I didn’t think RAD would be taking in new  _ demon _ students while in the middle of the term.”

The second demon grabbed her wrist and looked at her arm. He chuckled darkly. “Cheeky human. And to think none of the student council members are here to help you.”

“Thanks for the meal.” the third demon growled, her voice morphing to something more wild, beastly. Something in Crystal snapped as she used all of her strength to grab her wrist back and ran.

She should’ve just slept in today. She should’ve jumped off the balcony in the assembly hall. She should’ve ended her life before she was transported here, even if she went here at least she would’ve been a demon with a fighting chance…!

Crystal ran as fast as her adrenaline could permit, her other hand clutching the phone tightly. The cold air stung her nose and lungs but she kept running, not looking back on how near the demons were to her. She kept running, taking turns and stairs as much as she could. Other demons looked but paid no mind and didn’t intervene. Her breathing is now ragged and difficult, but she still pushed herself. Turning around another corner, she saw a familiar room number and went inside, slamming the door and falling to the floor, her knees giving up.

“Who the hell are you supposed to be? You’re late!” a booming voice called. She would’ve flinched if it wasn’t for the darkness creeping in her vision from lack of oxygen. 

Crystal didn’t answer, she couldn’t even if she tried. Either demons will kill her or overexertion from trying to escape from them. Her heavy-breathing became worse as she felt the judging silence from the other students, the instructor made no move to help her. Fuck this place.

“Answer me!”

“Please sir, let her calm down!” A dark haired and tanned student clad in white rushed to the shaking figure by the door. “Here, breathe with me.”

Cool, tanned hands touched each of hers that were on either side of her head as he slowly tilted her face upwards. Warm turquoise eyes filled Crystal’s vision. “Inhale,” Inhale. “Hold it, exhale.” Exhale. “Again, okay?” The pair did this a few more times before her breathing slowed to the normal pace.

“There we go! Now, let’s start with your name?” 

“Cry-crystal.”

The instructor grunted from the front. “Ah, the human.” As if being so explained everything.

“Do you know where you are?” the guy ignored him and continued.

“I’m at… RAD. My first class, 3113. I-... I was being chased down by three demons. They said I’m new and they didn’t care for the program, they said they’re going to eat me!” Crystal’s voice cracked as she tried to hold back her fear. The tension in the room snapped as the students started murmuring to each other.

“Please help me, I don’t want to live this way.” she whispered shakily.

The guy's eyebrows raised in surprise for a brief moment before speaking again. “I’m Simeon, I’m from the Celestial Realm and I’m an exchange student too.” An angel literally rushed to her rescue. Crystal couldn’t help but be thoroughly relieved. She took the hand he offered to stand her up and let her be whisked away to a desk beside him. 

The instructor cleared his throat and the mumbling died down eventually. The class started as if nothing happened. She might’ve not met the other human, but at least it’s someone she can immediately trust; an angel! Smiling up at him shyly, she tapped his arm.

“Hey, thanks for that one back there.” she whispered over the instructor. Witchcraft did not warn her about saying thanks to angels so she would be thanking Simeon until she dies. Her first day is an absolute wreck, but somehow his support made her feel much lighter.

“It’s no problem.” he smiled back. Warmth bloomed in her chest, an angel’s smile really is something else. She wondered if this is his magic or just plain attraction to an enchanting being.

Crystal tried to focus on this class, it seems to be about the history of Devildom, but her mind keeps going back to the exchange earlier. Sheer dumb luck seemed to favor her for now as she just escaped death from 3 demons, those which could easily outrun her if they really tried. Not even looking back to see if they were following her, she just ran until she found this room and now she doesn’t know her way back out. Cold and bitterness ebbed in her soul, she has not seen a single one of the demon brothers and the human did not feel like seeing one either. Crystal also knows full-well she can’t keep avoiding them or worse, piss any one of them off. She knows her choices and outlooks are shitty, but who would want to be thrown into an everyday life of running away? Laying a hand on her stomach, she longed for a decade-long nap and to wake up nowhere near demons.

A bell rang and Simeon and Crystal stuck together for the break, chatting and walking around the academy. Apparently, Simeon has another angel with him named Luke. They are currently staying in Purgatory Hall, another dormitory of RAD. Crystal joked about hiding there for the whole year; the angels and the other powerful human’s presences alone could maybe deter other demons from having their way with her. 

Simeon didn’t say anything, concern apparent in his expression. Oh well, he won’t force the human to tell anything she isn’t comfortable with.

Despite telling herself that she didn’t expect much from the demon brothers, Crystal couldn’t help feeling angry and disappointed. They could’ve at least stuck to the act even if they couldn’t give two shits about her. Looking back, those texts may have been an attempt already, then again, did they really expect her to know the whole place immediately? Especially since Mammon, the demon who’s supposed to be beside her,  _ ditched _ her to hell-knows-where. 

Her hunger isn’t as loud as it was this morning, misery from the whole situation numbing her senses temporarily.

It was finally time for her next class and Simeon walked her to the room, hesitating on leaving her alone. “I outran them once, you know. I could do it again. Don’t worry.” she smiled.  _ Please don’t leave. Please. _

“If you insist.” he sighed, turning around. “See you tomorrow then? By the gates?”

“So soon, Simeon?”

“Yes, well. My schedule ends early, I guess. I’m going to have a talk with the people in the office about it.”

“Oh, okay. See you tomorrow!” the both waved at each other before she went inside, her smile melted to a blank expression. The room hushed as she closed the door behind her, multiple vivid eyes looking over. Crystal scanned the room, searching for a seat and also looking to see if she recognizes any one. She found a seat a row away from the door, near the window, and took it immediately. Zoning out the classes, and her hunger, seemed like the best idea; to hell with her promises yesterday. The dark sky in Devildom didn’t help at all, it fools her body to thinking it was time to sleep, her body clock is still not set for this world.

Crystal felt the space beside her shift as someone sat beside her, she kept her eyes on the mountains far in the distance, despite the fear creeping in her hands. Maybe if she ignored them long enough she wouldn’t be bothered by anyone in this class.

“Hello there, I don’t think we have met before.” A familiar lacey voice greeted. She bit back a sigh, turning her head to greet him.

“Hello, Asmodeus.” 

“Wha-, how did you know my name? Well, I guess it’s not much of a surprise given how beautiful and popular I am.” He smiled. Then his eyes widened on realization. “Wait, you’re the human yesterday! Crystal right?”

She flinched as he practically shouted her identity, that’s out now for this class. At least one of them is here, so the other demons won’t harm her, right?

“Just call me Asmo, mkay? No need for formalities, darling.” He winked, curled blonde lashes fluttering. Crystal nodded politely, eager to go back to staring at the window and picking the wooden desk. Apparently, that wasn’t enough for Asmo as he continued to talk. 

“I’ve got to say, you look much better than you did yesterday. Maybe Barbatos transported you at a wrong time? That’s why you were so scared, huh. Your true form.” she blinked at him, expression blank. “I could totally relate, though. Don’t worry, it’ll be our secret. Do you do spells? What products do you use?”

“It’s just some human products I found in my bathroom. Nothing special.” She answered. Asmodeus hummed, stretching the silence between them.

“Oh, but it took you some time now, didn’t it? Tell me,  _ who _ are you prettying up for?” The conversation was taking a dangerous turn, but two can play the game of salt, she thought. Crystal was about to retort when Asmo leaned to her ear.

“A little bat told me, you got yourself in a lot of trouble this morning.” The instructor walked in and started the lesson immediately, not aware of the heavy air between the two. “Ignoring breakfast and almost getting killed by three demons. Careful,” Asmo pulled back to his seat, his eyes sly not breaking contact with hers. “Just because you’re new here doesn’t mean you can act all princess-y.”

Crystal’s breath hitched in her throat. So that’s what they think she’s acting like right now; spoiled. Guilt flooded her thoughts. She tried as much as she could to stay out of their way so they wouldn’t be burdened by her too much, but it seemed to just make things worse. Complacency may be the only choice she has, but then again, Mammon left her for shit and she got lost in the dorm. It also wasn’t her fault that the demons earlier were ready to devour her, arm-band or none, her legs and luck are the reasons why she’s still breathing. 

She glanced at Asmo who’s studying her with an amused expression. “Hm, did you get a perm?” he asked suddenly, as if his previous statements weren’t a jab at her. Crystal blinked at him again, this time perplexed at the sudden change. “Yeah, I did.”

The human flinched as he reached out to touch a lock of curled hair, examining the texture. “Just as I thought, your hair is hella damaged. It looks great from afar, though. We should get together and do a makeover some time.”

“Y-yeah. That’d be great.” she nodded despite not deciding on a date.

“Just us. Privately. In my room.” he winked, waving her hair away. Crystal decided to focus on the window again, she wished that she’d get some writing materials and a bag so she can doodle and write instead of scratching the soft wood of her desk. Asmo kept the conversation going, despite it being heavily one-sided. The human kept up politely, agreeing and answering when needed. When the bell rang, she excused herself hastily; eager to move around while no demons were still around. 

Hunger panged at her angrily, she could’ve snapped at Asmo any moment but her fear kept her in check. Crystal paced until she, luckily, found the cafeteria. It was empty except for a few demons serving behind the counters. Walking over to a vending machine, she mulled over which of the snacks are edible enough and decided on the “APLCNDY”. The machine then asks her to let it scan the QR code in her D.D.D, she fiddles with the device, trying to find the QR code.

“Hurry up! You’re not the only one wanting a snack!” A demon complained behind her. Panic made her fumble more until she finally found it and let the machine scan. She reached for the snack underneath, smacking her head on the glass. A few demons laughed as she hurriedly left the room. 

It’s her first food in almost a day of staying in Devildom, an apple on a stick coated with shiny, caramelized violet sugar. It’s this world’s version of a candy apple and she had no idea why she picked it. The sugar might help in the long run though, maybe another pack of demons might come for her and she’d need the energy. Before she knew it, Crystal had been walking to an unfamiliar corridor. She’s too embarrassed and scared to go back to the cafeteria and there aren’t any benches in sight. Looking around, she found the familiar sign of a restroom.

The scenario reminded her so much of the times in school where she had used the comfort rooms as her solace. Each stall is a private, one-man room; perfect for a breakdown or just some time alone. She walked inside a stall, locked the door and sat on the closed toilet bowl, tucking her feet up so the stall won’t be waited on. So far, there haven’t been any demons in the room, so she took the opportunity to eat. The apple was sour and a bit soft, but the sugar helped contrast the taste; candy-apples never tasted this good.

As she finishes her candy, Crystal hears the door open and footsteps follow. 2 demons were inside. Fingers felt around her pocket to silence her phone as she settled in to play the silent game. 

“I can feel it. I can truly feel it.” a demon sighed. The sound of a belt being fiddled open followed.

“Feel what?” the second demon spoke, the sound of pee and hissing steam echoing in the tiled room. The human sucked-in her lips to keep herself from making a sound, making sure to keep her breath soft and shallow. 

“I am  _ so _ failing that class, I’m going to have to repeat a year.” The first demon whined, then a sound of something hitting the stone surface. “This is so embarrassing.”

“So? It’s not uncommon for demons to repeat classes.”

“Well, yeah, but…” the first demon mumbled something like  _ ‘you wouldn’t be there’ _ . Crystal felt like she really shouldn’t be here, it sounded like it’s going to be an intimate moment.

“What?”

“N-no. I mean, I just heard the last human is transferring there. And uh, if they might get a lower grade maybe I wouldn’t have to…?” That was the lamest excuse she’d ever heard and she’d made a lot.

“Speaking of. Did you see it?”

“It?”

“The human. It was running around the hallways, chased by Buer’s group.” Running water flowed as the demon(s?) washed their hands. 

“Did you think it got away?”

“It did. Crashed into Furfur’s class late.”

“I’d say ‘poor thing’ but I never sympathized with humans. Never really felt anything for ‘em.”

“Apparently this one doesn’t have magic. Plain old human.” There goes her studies for witchcraft and being a witch.

“Again, I don’t really feel anything for this program of Lord Diavolo’s. I wouldn’t be shocked if this one doesn’t survive. I heard that it’s living in Lamentation with the avatars.”

“Then, Buer and his gang made a stupid attempt trying to defy Lord Diavolo when the human is under such care.”

“Still, this is such a fickle program. It’s the only human with no chance against demons. What a recklessly dumb human too, running around without any of her guards.” The sink was turned off. Finally, she could be alone again. Listening to this conversation is not making her feel any better. The demons are either outright defying Diavolo or they don’t give a damn at all, she wonders too if she will survive.

Crystal hears the door close but waits a few seconds before relaxing. Biting into her browning candy apple, she checks her schedule to find that she has 30 minutes before her last class. Walking out of the stall and restroom, she decides to use the time to find the room to avoid contact with any more demons.

A few minutes of walking around she finds the room she’s looking for, she checks her phone to see that she has 15 more minutes to spare. Once she entered the room, only a white-haired student was inside. Crystal closed her eyes resentfully, she’d rather face Asmo again than Mammon. Choosing a seat near the door again, she tapped on her phone mindlessly. She doesn’t have much of a problem with Mammon, besides him flaking on her, but she couldn’t help but be awkward around him; despite the fact that just yesterday she was ready to tease him until he fumes. Crystal frowned, she really doesn’t know where this awkwardness and the need to avoid him is stemming from.

“Ah, I found you.” the student spoke beside her. She jerked and whipped her head to find him looking at her with a smile that reminded her of Lucifer. This wasn’t Mammon, his skin is pale, hair much neater, and his eyes are a deep blue; almost black. “Finally. We humans got to stick together, right?” He holds out a hand, she takes it as her eyes go to his arm where the arm band is. The light catches on the gold edging.

“Ah, hello. I’m Crystal.” She greets formally. For all she knows this one could be a demon, tricking her. After all, they were the talk of the school, anyone could walk up to her with the stupid arm band and claim to be the other human. “And you are?”

“I am Solomon, I’m sure you’ve heard of it.” Crystal must’ve had a look on her face. “Are you suspicious? How can I prove to you that I am the other human student?” He asked, amused. She hesitated, thinking of a crafty and demon-proof question; it must be something specific and could tell what type of human this Solomon is.

“What phone did you have before you were brought here?”

Solomon’s eyebrows raised in surprise before chuckling. “This is going to be embarrassing, but I’ve never been much for phones. I had an iPhone 4 and I only have that Angry Birds game on it.” It was now Crystal’s turn to be surprised. She couldn’t help the laugh bubbling over her lips, it’s her first time laughing in hell.

“Pfft, an iPhone 4! In this day and age! You really are a human, must’ve been a hella shady one when you were up there.” she said, still laughing.

“My middle name must be shady, then. Even the angels and demons I’ve encountered keep calling me that.” Crystal’s laughter increased, her hand covering her mouth to contain it.

“I’ve had shadier friends.” Her confidence is back, she felt much better now that she’s found the other human. It was grounding to be reminded of how mundane you are in a -- weirdly human--- supernatural world. “Besides, we humans have to stick together, right?” She smiled at him, moving over to let him sit beside her. 

“How did you even know I’m human too?” she asked as he took his seat beside her.

“Sorcery, I’ve been practicing it my whole life. I’ve been trying to find you ever since I got wind that there would be another human studying here in Devildom. I guess you were too busy running away from demons to find me, huh.” Solomon smirked.

“How come everyone’s heard of it already! Ugh, this is so stupid and embarrassing. Imagine getting almost mauled on your first day?” Crystal groaned, putting her head in her crossed arms. Demon students walked in one by one, ignoring the two humans conversing animatedly.

“It’s not everyday a human runs around the halls of RAD  _ and  _ survives the said mauling. Why did you even remove your arm-band?” he snickered. The girl exaggerated a sob, running her hands through her hair. Solomon kept looking at her as she talked and gestured, avoiding his eyes. 

“I didn’t want to be singled out and targeted because someone let out I don’t have shit to help myself. I didn’t know I was going to be found out anyway. Ugh, I hate it here.” she whined, tucking half her face in her arms. “I wish I could be with you guys in Purgatory Hall, I’m living with the demon brothers in Lamentation and I honestly don’t want to face them any time soon.” Crystal hoped none of the other student demons could hear them, word apparently travels fast in Devildom and she didn’t want to make a fool of herself any more, especially to the demon brothers.

“I feel like at any moment, I would die here.” she added, her voice getting quieter. It was so soon for her to reveal her feelings but she couldn’t help herself. “That’s why, I’m so glad to have found you, Solomon. I hope you don’t mind but, I’ll be in your care from now on.” This was the first time their eyes met, the girl’s dark eyes shining with warmth and determination. He put his hand on her shoulder, reassuring her as much as he could.

“That’s already a given, Crystal. Don’t worry.” he took his hand back as the teacher stepped in the room. This demon has a more commanding presence than any of the other instructors she encountered earlier, their slit eyes scanning the room in one swoop, a dagger stare landing on them. The whole class went silent as their instructor started on the lesson, no formalities.

“Besides, I think you’ll be the one protecting me for the whole term.” Solomon whispered, hiding his mouth in his hand. The instructor stopped talking, silence piercing the room. Crystal glanced at him without moving her head, then looked back at the front again. After a moment of pressuring silence, the instructor continued with the discussion.

The forced silence made Crystal actually listen to the class, it was about the politics and laws in Devildom. There really shouldn’t be much discussion on the ruling part, but apparently there’s more to it than just Diavolo and his lineage. The demon also hinted at the student council being beyond just is, which left Crystal wondering how powerful these demons could really be. She made a huge mental note to herself to never piss them off, even if she dreaded every moment here in Devildom. 

“Say, do you have any plans after class?” Solomon whispered as he pretended to write on a notebook. 

“No. Not really.” Crystal whispered back, keeping her gaze to the board.

He didn’t answer back as he continued to write his notes, a mix of hasty handwriting and arcane symbols. Crystal got more interested in Solomon. Even if she’s powerless now, doesn’t mean she can’t learn anything later on. She’d have to ask him about that later, she might not be able to defend herself, but learning about witchcraft from a certified sorcerer is a must in itself. An alarm from the instructor’s device rang, forcing some of the students to cover their ears from the shrill screaming, and concluded the day’s class. The two humans walked out of the room, the girl finally feeling more ready to whatever Devildom throws in her way.

“I figured you haven’t had a tour of the grounds, yet. So, shall we?” he holds out his arm for her. Crystal giggled as she looped arms with him. A hop in her step as they walked away from the hallway. It’s not her to be so giddy and touchy immediately when finding a new friend, but she’s experienced too many things in a whole day to be bothered by this.

“It’s ironic, we’re both exchange students here but you are, showing me around as if you know the place.”

“Well, I arrived here way earlier than you. Plus, an extensive knowledge of Devildom and RAD does help.” he says as he taps his temple.

“Wait, you knew Devildom existed?!”

“Yes well, it has been part of my magical studies to learn about the different realms, after all. I also have currently made 47 pacts with demons here, it makes sense I know about their world.” he says nonchalantly.

Crystal turned to him slowly, her eyes wide with disbelief. A cold wind blew through the pair as they paused in their stroll. “47 pacts?!” No wonder beings think he’s shady, selling your soul to demons 47 times is a whole other mind game to play. Who would need 47 demons under their will…?

“And I plan to get more. I am especially interested in Lucifer.” Solomon smiled at her; the ‘Lucifer smile’. She felt a chill run up to her as another gust of cold wind blew. He slipped his arm away from her as he continued forward, unaware of the thoughts running in the other human’s head. Crystal might see Solomon as a human comrade, but maybe trusting him immediately for all is too much. Walking over to keep up with the sorcerer, she decided that she’ll at least trust him a bit. There is no use for forfeiting a friendship under mild suspicion. 

The two humans walked around the campus as the sorcerer showed her around the essential places and how to get there as they continue to reminisce about the human world. Crystal expected that Solomon would be a bit eccentric, somewhat shut-in from pop culture, but he manages to keep up at her references. Soon enough, the pair found themselves on the familiar path to the shrubbery leading to the familiar dormitory. 

“I guess this is good-bye for now?” she asked more than said. Crystal may have started the day horribly, but meeting Simeon and ending the day with Solomon made it far more better. She’ll have to face the demon brothers any moment, but at least she found some friends to help her through.

“Let me walk you home, please.” He offers his arm again. Smiling warmly, she accepts again as they continue through the shrubby forest. Crystal looked up at the everlasting night sky, it was hard to tell what time it is Devildom where there are no environmental cues to depend on. She pulled out her phone to check, it was already 18:45. There were also multiple notifications on her lockscreen, she swiped to see multiple missed calls and messages from Lucifer and Mammon.

“Fuck, I forgot to turn off silent mode. Hold on, I have to make this text.” Crystal pulled her arm away, telling Lucifer not to worry and that she’s on her way back. They continued to converse and walk through the thorny grass, talking about everything except Devildom. Once they reached the clearing, Crystal turned to Solomon to say goodbye.

“Good evening, Crystal.” a deep voice greets, his footsteps crunched on gravel as Lucifer approaches the two. The human girl froze, she didn’t expect him to be waiting out for her like this. A chill went up her spine even if there was no breeze present. Solomon's eyes glinted but it’s not his time to strike.

“Good evening, Lucifer.” he greeted. Crystal could only nod back to Lucifer’s greeting, she feels it deep in her gut; she’s going to be in trouble.

“...Solomon.” Lucifer says, as if disdained by his existence. The sorcerer did not seem fazed by this, he continues to smile as he looks at the other human. Sensing her fear, he put his hand on her shoulder again.

“You’ll be okay, Crystal. See you tomorrow.” With that he left. Waving back listlessly, mostly trying to shake off the nervousness from her hand, she forgot to tell him she doesn’t have classes tomorrow. Crystal is now left with the eldest of the Demon brothers: the Avatar of Pride.

Silence hung heavy as Lucifer stared down at the human. No news doesn’t get past him, not even if Mammon seriously tries to lie to make it through his plans. The very first day, she manages to already cause a scene: the whole fiasco of being chased-down by insatiable demons who ignored authority. The human also skipped two meals and still manages to survive through everything, and now she’s chummy with the shadiest, albeit human, student in RAD. Lucifer sighs heavily, he supposes the main event for her day can’t be her fault. The human had her arms stiff to her sides, her fists clenched and shaking.

“Come now, it’s getting cold out.” Lucifer walks behind her as he closes the door of the dorm behind them. By the staircase, Mammon stood up and stilled on the sight of Lucifer and the human.

“I thought we agreed that ‘ya aren’t gonna cause trouble for me?!” Mammon goes in immediately. She flinched at his tone, but kept her ground.

“Yeah I didn’t now, did I?” she answered. Lucifer watched in amusement as Mammon’s eyes almost bulged out of its sockets.

“What the fuck are ‘ya sayin? You could’ve died you dumbass! I thought I was dumb, but apparently ‘ye can go lower!” he reaches deep into his pocket to show a crumpled red arm band. “What’s the big idea throwin’ this out, huh? You’re supposed ‘ta wear this on your arm, so we can find ‘ya easily! If you’d let us just come with you, you wouldn’t have to run your ass off the whole RAD! You didn’t have’ta be so difficult an’ distant, we’re really puttin’ our necks out there! Spoiled brat!” he hissed.

Fuck whatever blossoming feelings she had for Mammon. It flew out to the nearest river and drowned itself.

To hell with not pissing them off.

Fuck.  _ Everything _ .

“I didn’t bother you, didn’t I?!” she shouted back, her throat heavy. A bit of tears blurred her vision. Crystal could never get angry without crying, she hated it. But what she hated the most was that this  _ scum _ had the nerve to accuse her of things she mostly had no control of. “I didn’t call you when you disappeared on me for fuck-all when I diverted Levi’s anger away. Because unlike you, I can tell when people think I’m a burden they don’t want to be saddled with! You had no idea how I felt, I was so tired and scared but you  _ left _ me! I didn’t call you when I was going down for breakfast; I got lost and late. I didn’t call you to ask where the rooms would be and I got lost again. I didn’t call you when I overheard the damned demons talking about how they’d have me as their last meal before they die to Diavolo.” Her voice cracked at the last bit. Lucifer frowned at Mammon, he didn’t know he actually ditched her and she still went on with her day.

“I didn’t bother you. There! Do not ever call me a dumbass ever again because I did what I thought was right to survive. There wasn’t any one of you around to care, and  _ you _ were supposed to be there for me. Don’t ever shout at me again-” Tears dripped down her cheeks and her breath hitched. Her head felt light from shouting but she had to get her point across. “You have  _ no idea _ how it feels to be suddenly transported to hell and be thrown into survival mode the whole time. I don’t know anything and-- no one even bothered to ask if I even  _ wanted  _ to be here!” She breathes through her teeth, furious. Mammon stared at her dumb-founded while Lucifer continues to watch.

“I’ve been willing myself to bear through everything the whole day, barely fucking surviving. You don’t get to insult me. Fuck.  _ You _ . Mammon. You’re the shittiest guide anyone could ask for.” Crystal was about to walk away when Lucifer gripped her wrist. She turned back to glare at him, grabbing her hand back.

“What?!”

“Crystal, I apologize on behalf of his actions. But still, we can’t ignore the fact you broke the rule for the exchange student program. I would like to be able to  _ clear _ the air for this. Both of you to my room. Now.” Lucifer commanded. Crystal clicked her tongue and continued walking away. Lucifer was about to call her back, his anger already rising to the surface, when Mammon held his shoulder back. 

  
“I think I already know what I did wrong. See you tomorrow at breakfast.” She announced once she reached the top of the staircase, she continued walking as her silhouette blended in the dark corridor leading to her room.


	4. IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! Chapter 4 out me in a slump and I had to drag my finals sahdakjhfsdkj ;;; Anyway please enjoy!

Crystal groaned, further burying herself in the pillow.

She can’t deny what she said yesterday was true, but she can’t help but feel embarrassed and fearful from the consequences. This is her aftermath; after experiencing a whole day in RAD and giving herself good advice, she broke it for a moment of defiance. If yesterday made her fear for her life, her outlook for today is absolutely bleak. The House of Lamentation is hollow enough for her shouts to be heard by everyone, some of the brothers may have even been lounging in the room beside the lobby. Nobody even bothered to text her for dinner.

She sat up, massaging her temples. Sleep last night was light at best, cold anger dissipating quickly to be replaced by hot shame that kept her up. Grabbing her D.D.D, the screen flashed 6:13. She debated if she should go down for breakfast today when she remembered what she said to Lucifer and Mammon. Unlike these demons, she would keep her word despite her rising need to go crawl in a cave and die. 

A sigh escaped her lips as she prepared for the day, throwing on a large black hoodie and kept the hood up. Her fingers touched the window glass, rippling to show a miserable expression. She pulled on the hoodie’s strings tight and slipped on the slippers. Walking over to her door, she hesitated then shook her head. This human is better than demons and she won’t allow herself to die in this room. She will face them despite what she feels; she will eat and survive. Pulling her door, she also sees Levi going out of his room. Crystal pursed her lips, she totally ignored his text and now he’s probably going to feel angry.

Fuck it.

“Good morning, Levi.” she hesitantly greeted.

Levi looked up, his eyes looking glazed and tired, dark circles prominent. “Morning, Crystal.” he yawns. It was the first time a demon brother acknowledged her name without any authority around. “Ugh, I’m so tired. But I have classes today and Lucifer will kill me if I don’t at least attend.”

“Sorry for not replying to your text,” she looks down, going straight to the point. Might as well get things over with. “I fell asleep and forgot to reply. But let me make it up to you?” Crystal punched herself inwardly, she should really be more careful with her words. This is offering herself to a  _ demon _ . Supernatural creatures, more often than not, love tricking humans to their wishes. Shut-in or not, Levi is still the Avatar of Envy; he could spin her to his desires.

Her offer made Levi straighten up, his eyes now fully awake and looking at her.

“Really? I mean- I guess, yeah. Apology accepted. It’s fine, I’m used to being forgotten anyway. Let’s hang out again when I’m free and don’t ignore my text this time.” He says. Crystal gave a genuine smile, demon or not, being forgiven is one of the best feelings in the world. She doesn’t have much beef with Levi anyway, bonding with him is grounding. Not on the same level of connection with Solomon, but it’ll do. 

“Are you okay, though? I heard your spat with Lucifer and Mammon last night.” She was about to reply when her stomach grumbled, her hands immediately held her stomach.

“I’ve been surviving on that one candy apple I had yesterday. Let’s go to breakfast while I tell you what happened.” she said, flushing red. Levi led her to a stairway by the end of the hall.

“Levi, how fucked do you think I am later…?” she trailed off, trying to find the words to start. Crystal doesn’t want to go too in-depth of what happened or she might back off from breakfast in shame. Levi laughed, amused at her situation. She winced, a demon’s laughter couldn’t be good.

“Lolololol. You’re totally fucked. I don’t know about Mammon, but Lucifer will  _ so _ come for you again. You’re lucky you’re under Diavolo so he has the sense to not kill you on the spot.” Crystal closed her eyes and clicked on her tongue, regret clearly etching on her face.

“Maybe- hmm since you’re a human, the worst is a thorough lecture, I guess? He really can’t lay a hand on you.” he speculated, trying to ease her a bit. It wasn’t him to try and be optimistic for someone, but he can’t bear to lose his first human friend through poorly-chosen words. Then again, his guess may be partly true. Levi glanced at her again, she bit her lip and kept her gaze on the floor. He felt bad for her, but he can’t help but be amused at her situation. No one openly defied and shouted with Lucifer like that, especially a human. He decided that he’ll let her figure out the rules, besides, this is Mammon’s job he’s doing.

“I just said what I felt. I shouldn’t have shouted, I think, but I stand by it.” she says. “If Mammon had at least showed himself yesterday morning then none of this would’ve happened.” Her face soured at the thought of Mammon, she lamely kicked at a stone post with a demon’s face at the base.

They finally arrived at the dining area where a cheery Asmo in frilly, pink pajamas — with an equally frilly but red apron —  glided to and fro from another room. He was carrying two big plates with food on it when he saw the two arrive.

“Good morning! hu-hellooo,” he drawled, clearly slipping up with her name. “Ah, Levi you’re up early.” Asmo says as he puts down the dishes. Crystal ignored his fumble and rushed to his side.

“I can help. Where are the utensils and plates?” Asmo smiled and led her to the kitchen. Levi took his seat at the table and placed his head down. He’ll let the human be useful while he catches up on a bit of sleep. 

In the kitchen, Asmo continued to stir and fry something by the stoves while Crystal stacked plates and utensils to carry back. He hummed as the clinking of ceramics and silver filled the kitchen. At least this human could be bothered to contribute, unlike his other brothers. Thinking back at it, this human went through a hell lot yesterday, wrapping her day up with walking away (alive!) from a pissed Lucifer who will surely come back to bite her in the ass. Not literally, or maybe. Asmo chuckled at the thought.

“Is there something funny?” she asked, no bite in her tone. Her eyes are big and dark, expressive-- naive. Poor thing, if she keeps this stubborn attitude up he wouldn’t be able to see what magic he can twirl her around with. Makeup? Some spells? Potions, scents? What would be her reaction? He may have daydreamed about her eyes glazing over with one of his new spell-laced scents that is all the rave today.

“Hm? Oh, it’s nothing.” he hummed. “I’m just glad you’re still alive, is all. You better tell me the deets of what happened yesterday, mmkay? Mammon’s yelling startled me from my meditation, but I was so shocked to hear yours.” He paused, tasting the yellow soup then adding a whole dried newt. “After all that commotion, the house was so silent.” Crystal walked out of the kitchen carrying her stack, mugs and glasses on her other hand.

She set the table as best she could, her home isn’t one for formalities with the utensils but this one is. She tapped Levi on the shoulder to set his place, who then stared at his plate after being roused. Crystal came back to the kitchen to get soup bowls and some of the extras they might need for breakfast.

“Yeah, um- I’m sorry for disturbing your meditation.” She sighed, opening the fridge for the juices, she’s growing tired of explaining herself. “I just… I don’t know. I was reaching the end of my rope, y’know? Mammon started shouting at me, then I snapped.” Crystal looked around the fridge, a weird cheese smell hitting her nose.

“Asmo, which juices do you guys need for breakfast?”

“Oh, just get two jugs of the orange one and the sparkly red slushie in the freezer please,” Asmo sang as his voice faded over to the other room. “Thank you~” Crystal proceeded to grab the funky juices when she saw something hidden in the back ice of the freezer. She squinted her eyes at the item, it was a golden card of sorts. Deciding to not mess with it, she took note of the item for future reference. She placed the jugs on a basket carrier and went to the dining area where most of the demon brothers are already present. Setting the basket down, she felt an intense stare on the side of her head. Glancing, she saw Lucifer with narrow eyes: a cold, piercing stare. Crystal gulped, stepping back from the table. 

Maybe breakfast is a bad idea after all, maybe she’ll just eat after all of them are done, maybe she’ll just--

“Crystal.” he called, his voice hiding his simmering anger most likely from their exchange last night. She flinched, her back ramrod straight. Lucifer pulled the chair to the left, so quickly and forcefully that the screech made everyone halt. Tense silence filled the room as everyone sat down on their respective places. Mammon is the last of the brothers to come in, taking his seat on the right of Lucifer-- in front of her. Crystal refused to meet Mammon’s eyes, she fiddled with her hoodie’s strings as she stared at her hooded reflection at the plate.

“Go-Good morning, Lamentation! Ahahaha…” Asmo greeted nervously, trying to ease the atmosphere. Everyone either mumbled back or just grunted. The morning is starting out awkwardly; it was obvious that most didn’t expect the events of last night to still loom over. Beelzebub coughed as he reached for a plate of a stack of some Devildom breakfast food. Everyone took this as cue to start eating, the clinking of utensils filling the silence. Lucifer still hasn’t reached for any of the dishes, opting to sip whatever void is in his mug. 

Mammon kept glancing at her, she kept ignoring him as she tried to pick something edible. 

None of these dishes look like anything from the human world or look like it contains any human-edible ingredients. Even the drinks that Asmo asked her to put out were questionable at best: the orange one looking like a lava lamp of raw eggs and the red one looking eerily like frozen blood with something beige curled in it.

“Oh Crystal, don’t worry about the ingredients. Lord Diavolo already made sure that our menu is fit for human consumption.” Satan filled-in, noticing the human’s apprehension. Asmo nodded, taking a sip of the red slushie. “He’s right! I even seasoned everything with human-appropriate condiments, except for salt though, can’t touch that stuff. As far as we know, these are safe.”

“Yep, not a trace of poison in here. And I’ve eaten most of everything.” Beelzebub says as he helps himself to another serving of the dishes. Asmo laughed, genuinely this time. “Don’t worry about running out Beel, I made sure to make lots today. This is our first official breakfast with Crystal anyway, I wanted to make things special.”

“Thank you for this, everyone.” Crystal said, giving a small smile. The tension eased a bit from their conversation as they smiled back at her. The dishes and ingredients are guaranteed edible, but may not be palatable. Knitting her brows, she decided she might as well immerse fully into this culture and take the dive in. She was about to reach a serving from the dish near her when Levi stopped her.

“Ah, no, not that one.” He says pulling her hand back. “Here try this,” Levi scoops out a healthy serving of whatever was on his plate and puts the spoon in front of her. It smells strongly of ginger and vodka, Crystal had to bury her nails in her palm to keep herself from gagging.

“Say ahh…” He offers again, smiling at her. She can’t tell if he’s entertained or genuinely eager. Crystal gave him a wary look before opening her mouth. The taste was out of this world-- well out of the human world. She can’t exactly pinpoint how the taste is different from the smell, but she supposes it is somewhat palatable. Crystal then decides she can live with this, hoping Lucifer will permit her to cook some human food in the future. 

“Well, what do you think?” Asmo leaned across his seat, gauging her reaction. Crystal chewed slowly, feeling textures of gummy, liquid, crispy — eggshells? — in the portion. She gave a thumbs up and a smile, she  _ can _ put up with this. Mammon paused his chewing on a pancake bat wing, looking like a terrier ready to lounge at a squirrel.

Levi scooped up portions of the dish he fed her as she grabbed a sandwich between her and Mammon. She kept her eyes on her hands, pointedly ignoring him. Levi also poured the orange drink in her cup, glugging as the whole membranes slipped from the jug to the goblet. There is a heaping serving of everything, she’s worried she might not finish everything and make Asmo feel insulted. She slowly took her heavy spoon and ate, trying to get used to the peculiar taste. 

Soon enough, the tense atmosphere dissipated as the brothers discussed among themselves, even Lucifer’s tense mood eased a bit as he casually slipped into the conversation. Every now and then, Crystal is asked a question and she would give short but polite replies. Only Mammon wasn’t speaking, keen on eating as much as he could.

“Crystal, are you sick? Why are you wearing your hood like that?” Lucifer asked, apparently already okay with her. His sudden acknowledgement and the new texture caused her to choke on the cold, goopy orange drink-- spitting out of her nose to Mammon who shrieked; his first sound for this morning. Lucifer patted her back as she coughed and wheezed, carefully as not to exceed force and break her ribs. 

“Ugh Mammon, do you have to be so loud? The morning was going so great.” Asmo complained, sipping his red drink elegantly. Mammon glared at him, standing up from his seat with his wet shirt. Crystal kept coughing, face red and eyes watery. Lucifer switched to rubbing her back with a circular motion. She held her nose that’s stinging from the drink’s sudden burst. Is there no potable water in Devildom? 

“She spit on me!”

“Yeah, by accident. Calm down.” Levi retorted, rushing to the kitchen to get her a glass of water.

“You didn’t have to scream like a little girl. It’s just Joyolken, not holy water.” Satan says casually, tapping out something in his D.D.D.

“Augh, yer so disgustin’! Can’t believe I have ‘ta take care of you!” Mammon shouted at the struggling human. Levi arrived with the glass of water that she gulped down eagerly, a stream escaping on the side of her mouth. Anger building up again, she thought: how insensitive can this asshole go? Slamming down the glass on the table, she glowered at Mammon. The table fell silent with the sound, even Beelzebub’s inhaling session paused.

“You,  _ take care _ of me?” she was surprised at how low her voice sounded. Her hand gripped the glass she put down. “Is this a fucking joke? I never knew clowns have white hair.” A few sounds of poorly controlled giggles escaped from the other brothers. She won’t let herself go feral again, but she’ll let herself be angry.

“Hey! Listen here ‘ya blitherin’ fuck, this is a demon your talkin’ to.  _ The _ Avatar of Greed, second born. You watch your mouth.” He says leaning to her from his side of the table. His voice had a different edge, growling almost. Crystal is too angry to feel fear from this. She felt Lucifer grip her shoulder —  hard, a silent urge for her to back down. As much as she doesn’t want to feel inferior to this asshole, she wanted to live. Based on experience, jokey personalities have the worst anger when pushed. She felt her D.D.D vibrate in her pocket, she gave him one last glare before opening her phone. A notification flashing as Solomon’s message is previewed.

_ ‘Are you free today?’ _

Crystal smiled, any misfortune that dampened her day melted away. Finally a chance to hang out more with Solomon  _ and _ at least enjoy Devildom. So many other people could individually fill Mammon’s place as her guide, she didn’t need him. Eagerly typing out a reply, she felt like a goblin finally getting gold. Lucifer looked over her phone, she tilted it immediately to the other direction to which Levi read the message out loud.

“Are you free today. Let’s hit Devildom downtown. Ye I am. Gimme a- Hey!” He reads, narrowing his eyes. Crystal places the phone close to her chest, pouting at Levi. 

“Wow! Crystal is already getting a date and it’s just her third day here. You’re quick to strike.” Asmo cheered. Satan and Beelzebub whistled in awe. Crystal stood up and flushed. She and Solomon are friends! She honestly cannot see herself becoming more than friends with the sorcerer, he’s not her type anyway. He may be human, but she’s not that desperate and sad. She collects herself by clearing her throat.

“It’s just Solomon. He’s showing me around.” Crystal says, walking away from the dining area already. They can assume what they want, she doesn’t owe an explanation to them. She rubbed the shoulder Lucifer gripped, the spot redding and growing tender. Asmo stilled in his seat at the mention of the name.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Lucifer asks, looking at her mostly finished plate.

“To my room?” Crystal held herself back from saying duh. The dining room was silent as she walked away, her slippers flopping on the stone floor.

In her room, Crystal decided to take a bath with the tub. This is her first time to bathe in one, so she reckoned to use one of the fanciest bottles up by the cabinet. Solomon didn’t give her a time limit when they would meet, it’s perfect for her to take her sweet time pampering herself up. Crystal stared at the iridescent, bubbling water.

_ ‘Tell me, who are you prettying up for?’ _

Asmo’s statement rang in her head. It was stifling; remembering that she’s basically food on legs. Even making herself look pretty, the one thing she enjoys doing the most, is a statement to other demon’s already. She has to be careful on what she wears, applies, and acts. Her hands tightened her grip on the edge of the tub.

Whatever she does won’t change the fact that she  _ is _ human and devil chum, she might as well feel great about it. If she dies; she dies pretty.

After her well-appreciated bath, she picks out a sweater dress. The bruise Lucifer gave her was already darkening, she can’t wear any of the off-shoulder tops she so loved. Crystal scowled, cursing Lucifer’s strength. She continued with her outfit, makeup and hair. Picking out a big, sparkly hair pin, she clips most of the right potion of her hair back. She picks up her phone, texting Solomon that she’s almost done readying up. He replied while she was lacing her RAD boots and fixing her stockings.

_ ‘I’ll be waiting by RAD.’ _

Crystal sends an OK sticker, opening her door to bump to Mammon’s chest. She frowned on seeing the white-haired demon. Mammon stared at her down, his hands on his hips. He cleared his throat.

“Where are y’all goin’?”

“You heard Levi earlier.” Crystal replies. She’s going to be late if he keeps talking to her.

“I’m comin’ with.”

Crystal looked up at him, shocked. He looked away pursing his lips, now avoiding her eyes. This whole situation stank of Lucifer and she hated it. Wasn’t it enough to give her a bruise?

“No. I don’t care what Lucifer asked you to do. I can take care of myself--  _ we _ can take care of ourselves.” Crystal shouldered through Mammon, taking long strides so that the demon will not follow her. Why is he doing this now? Why didn’t he do this yesterday; when she needed him most? It made no sense and it was too late for him to find redemption with her. The human was set on going through everything with the least help she could get.

Heavy footsteps followed her as she went down and about Lamentation. She has a knack for escaping demons, she muses. Then, Crystal saw a towering, black figure by the door as they both neared it and took back her thought; Lucifer was expecting her. She pursed her lips, a determined look set on her face, she might as well say to him what kept her up last night. 

Lucifer and the human met each other’s eyes as she approached, her long strides slowing to a walk. She let out a sigh and spoke.

“I’ll say sorry because of how I acted, but I won’t say sorry to what I said.” She paused, fiddling with her hands. “You promised I’d be safe and I didn’t feel safe, at all.”

Lucifer’s eye twitched, clearly offended, but held himself back. He must be the better person in this situation, and he cannot let himself be provoked by a mere, insolent human. Clearing his throat, he spoke cooly.

“I promised to  _ Diavolo _ your survival; not being pampered and coddled. I don’t care what you feel.”

Crystal clicked her tongue, she can feel Mammon shifting behind her; uncomfortable getting caught in-between their tension again. Lucifer plays the  _ ‘elegantly telling you to fuck off’ _ game, she may not be royalty but she can twist her brain hard enough to be one.

“Being safe, comes with feeling safe, Lucifer. I don’t know about you demons, but in the human world, promises are meant to be kept. Unless you’re really incapable.” She can feel Lucifer’s shock and snapping patience. Twisting the knob she steps out to the cold everlasting night of Devildom.

“I’ll be back before dinner, I promise.” She pauses. “And don’t follow us, Mammon.” The door shuts behind her. The two fell silent for a moment, unable to hold the human back.

“‘Follow us’?” Lucifer asked his younger brother, his anger fading away slowly. This human may or may not keep her promise, still, the only thing he could do right now is trust her. Mammon scratched his neck, shifting his weight on his other foot. The dark-haired demon crossed his arms.

“Don’t tell me you plan to actually do your job now?”

“Not really…” Blue-yellow eyes looked away.

“She’s relentless and headstrong, getting her to forgive you will take a long time. I advise you to sit this one out and let her come to you naturally.” Lucifer says. He looks to the side, feeling as if his own statement was a jab at him.

Mammon grunted as he walked away to his room-- his schedule already specifically tailored to match hers now that she’s arrived. He figures he could use this free time to think of new money-making schemes as his wallet is growing thinner and his precious Goldie is nowhere in sight.

“Do your tasks Mammon or  _ I’ll _ make you do it!”

Yeah, right. School was not essential for the second-born-- in his humble opinion, once you know the basics and got the drive where you want to go, you don’t need to waste your brain cells in knowledge you can learn for yourself. A paper and a bunch of numbers shouldn’t be able to measure a demon’s capabilities; but somehow that crap still mattered in Devildom. Once he reaches his room, he slumps over his couch. His mind drifted back to the human.

Mammon can’t deny that he had enough interaction with humans-- from the three witches he’s currently bound, to the little girl he’s been showering, as much as he could, with gifts. They never were much difficult to work with, if not demanding. Demanding is the only trait he can apply to most humans he’d been in contact to and to her. Well, the witches that usually summoned him wanted his presence.

_ ‘No one even bothered to ask if I  _ even _ wanted to be here!’ _

Her teary and furious expression popped in his memory. How do you try to coax an unwilling human to let you do your job? The demon mussed his hair, racking his head for ideas. He can’t ignore the heavy guilt haunting him, reminding him again of how a life is in his hands. Blue-yellow eyes scanned the room, landing on the crow sticker by the coffee table. 

Mammon sits up as an idea forms in his head: she didn’t say which type of Mammon can follow her. The second-born shuts his eyes and concentrates on his magic, feeling the rush of thunder and hasty greed crawl in his veins as black feathers slowly molt out of his tanned skin. Fully-black eyes opened, searching for the door, letting himself complete his transformation outside and find the human.

Mammon flew, feeling the biting chill of Devildom air on his new sleek, feathered body. Navigating the familiar twists of Devildom’s alleys, he perched on one of the buildings by Devildom’s famous bustling downtown, black eyes scanning for the human and her white-haired companion. It had been long since he used his animal form to do business in Devildom, yet the form is still familiar and capable. He waited a while, his head not even stopping to nip at something itchy by his wing, when he saw something sparkle by the distance. Mammon berated himself not to let his nature overcome now, but his form is already well on its way. 

As he neared, he saw that the twinkle was from a hair clip that’s bedazzled with rhinestones. Mammon perched on an empty table by a cafe, the hairpin was quite familiar. A laugh came from the owner of the pin, turning around to point at something in the cafe.

It was the human.

Her expression is much brighter compared to the times he’s seen her. She smiled freely, all teeth and closed eyes, her curly dark hair bouncing with her movements. The human has her arms looped with Solomon who gave him a glance before walking with her inside the cafe. Mammon faced the window, watching them curiously. She was pointing on different drinks in the menu and Solomon helped her through with selecting. Once she is busy with ordering, Solomon turns to give him a long look, a knowing smile stretched on his face. The white-haired sorcerer lifted a finger to his lips, promising to keep Mammon’s identity a secret. The human girl turned to what Solomon was looking at, they exchanged some words before they both went over to the black crow outside.

Mammon was about to fly away and escape any interaction with them when he felt the crackle of magic from Solomon’s hands hold his bird form down; ‘petting’ him.

“Here, Crystal. In my culture, crows are signs of good luck.”

The human studied him, looking over and hesitantly tapped his beak. She smiles at the crow, a soft expression, clearly unaware of Mammon’s presence in this form.

“Keep watching over me, okay? I’ll need all the luck I can get.” Her voice is warm, friendly. So much more different from the polite and nervous quips she peeps at Lamentation. Worlds different from her heated shouts and cold glares at him. Mammon wonders how much more he will have to work for to get this feeling again. He also wonders how long he can keep being a crow for her.

“I’m sure he will.” Solomon says as they walk away from the crow. He smiles inwardly, human world animals are uncommon in Devildom, and there’s only one crow that goes around here. But he wasn’t about to ruin it for the demon, not now when Mammon is finally doing his bodyguard duty to Crystal.

The pair chatted and laughed, dancing around the streets of Devildom without a care in the world, a black crow keeping a safe distance from them. Her phone is tucked in his pocket, music playing from the device that’s been enhanced by his magic. Several other demons scowled at their volume, but mostly paid no mind to the humans prancing about in hell. They talked about everything under the sun, which didn’t include Devildom.

“The night is young, but my stomach hungers!” Crystal giggled, rolling the ‘r’s. “That drink was good, but I need some real grub.” She took her phone again from his slacks pocket, skipping to the next song and checking for any notifications. Solomon continued to walk forward, snapping his fingers to the beat of the new song; sparks flying from every snap.

“I know a place, it has some human cuisine in it. Apparently the owner wants to expand to the human world-- we’ll be welcome guests.”

This seemed to please her as they continued to walk towards Solomon’s suggested place. The place is a pub-style restaurant, the name “Hell’s Kitchen” a tiny text in the corner of the sign-board. Solomon and Crystal went in, the stench of Devildom cuisine hitting them in their noses. Mammon’s crow form flew in, perching on top of one of the cabinets at the far corner, hoping to come unnoticed by the human girl and some other demons he might’ve owed. 

The owner of Hell’s Kitchen, who looks like a morphed version between a demon and a skinny pig, welcomed the two humans gregariously; even greeting Solomon with a hearty slap on his shoulder, clearly familiar with each other. The two humans were ushered over to the bar, the owner giving them both the menus.

“You guys just tell me what ya’ll think of the food here and all the drinks you’ll be guzzlin’ up today is on the house!” he says loudly. Crystal whooped and shook Solomon’s shoulders.

“We getting  _ ZRUNK _ tonight, Solomon!”

“It’s lunchtime, Crystal.”

“WOOOOH!”

The restaurant has tables full, except for the bar stools where only the two humans were seated. Crystal ordered cheeseburger and fries, while Solomon ordered beef stew with potatoes and bread. A server arrived with the first of their complimentary drinks for the meal. The pair clinked their glasses and chugged the foamy, spitty blue drink. Crystal almost threw up with the strong sour, electric, and bitter taste; she swallowed it anyway, feeling an acidic burn in her throat. Solomon simply wiped his mouth with his sleeve, seemingly pleased with the drink. She gently placed her head on the table, already feeling her gut turn.

“Ugh, what was that drink??” She burped, covering her mouth a little too late.

“I believe it’s known as Wicked Devil Grog. I won’t tell you what it's made of, lest you ruin everyone’s lunch.” Solomon chuckled.

“I mean, you survived so, it’s safe I guess?” Crystal was already slightly slurring. The thought of finally having legitimate human food in 3 days made her lick her lips, feelings of longing for the sun and fresh air swirling in her head. Suddenly the sick feeling is replied by a buzz, swizzling from her chest to the tips of her hair. Crystal sits up, giving Solomon a slow, mischievous smile. The white-haired sorcerer laughed at his human companion who is clearly not used to the strength and quirk of demon liquor.

“You alright?”

“I feel great! Wicked Devil Grog, huh?” She paused, tilting the glass. “Let’s dance some more while we wait for our food.”

“No need, it’s here, madame and sir.” The owner piped in, carrying two big plates of their orders. Crystal inhaled the scent, it was really close to the burgers she had in the human world. She also took a whiff of Solomon’s bowl of beef stew, her senses missing the taste. They both thanked the owner and dug in immediately in the food. For Crystal, the food is close enough to the human world. It was obvious that they had to use different condiments, but they made it work. She sighs happily.

“This is amazing! It’s so close to human world burgers! I love it!” she shouts over the bustle, looking over to the owner of the restaurant. He simply winked and gave her a thumbs-up, sending over another server to give them drinks. The pair continued to chat and down drinks, Solomon stopping Crystal at her third drink as she could barely speak properly. 

“Las danz, blease…” Crystal sniffs as she gripped Solomon’s sleeve. “Put on, the ztroks, solooo…”

“Okay, last dance and we’re leaving. You’re inebriated.”

“Heh, brie. Das a cheeeze.” She manages to open her phone and let Solomon handle the playlist. Electric guitar fills the sound of the bar as Solomon enhanced his volume charm on the phone. Crystal cheered and a few other patrons expressed their approval for the song. She tries standing up but wobbles, her sweaty hands gripping on the bar stool she left. Mammon the crow snapped to attention, this human was already unpredictable sober, what more if she’s drunk?

Apparently he was right. He had never been more right in his life.

The song reached the chorus and the intoxicated human started jumping around, some patrons dancing with her, but most avoided her antics. Even as Solomon tried to swing her away, she kept jumping back to the crowd of demons; a twisted, hungry look growing in their expressions. 

It happened so quickly.

A shout and some furniture crashing, Crystal was thrown across the room. She landed on a demon who locked her in his arms, preventing her escape. The crash kicked her out of her drunken stupor, adrenaline and fear flowing in her nerves. Her vision is still blurry and woozy, despite still feeling her skewed glasses on her face. Her nails scratched on the big arms that locked her in, legs kicking out the other demons approaching her.

These guys were different from those pretty students in RAD; rougher, more built for fighting.

“I like tender meat, you know? It’s been so long since I had fatty liver.” The main demon drooled in front of her, landing a punch on her cheek, then her gut. Crystal felt the alcohol and greasy meal slosh in her torso, threatening to go out. The demon holding her gripped her neck, the lack of air making her weak. There were flashes of blue and white behind the demons as her vision darkened, the last thing she saw was a perched black crow being surrounded by smoke and lightning. 

Solomon’s magic crackled and singed the air of the restaurant. These demons worked in teams to hold him back from getting to Crystal, but he is stronger and used to this. He’s been dealing with demons ever since he was officially birthed as a sorcerer, these ruffians did not scare him. Muttering a teleportation spell, a blue sigil quickly drew itself on the ground of the demons keeping him down, sucking them in and teleporting them to fuck-all Devildom. Solomon pushes himself up, thinking of clearing the way to Crystal when he hears the hum of thunder. He looks over as he blasts the rushing demons, it was Mammon morphing to his demon form. His eyes still inky black, unyielding.

“I don’t wanna hurt ‘ya, but Lucifer’ll kill me once he sees the state of that human.” Mammon easily shoved away the first wave and reached the demon that beat up the human girl. Solomon behind him, teleporting the other demons that decided to come back for them. “Punishment’s needed to keep order, ya’know.”

“I don’t give a flying fuck what Diavolo’s ex-angel twink thinks of his sorry excuse of a sibling.” 

Mammon’s head twitched, his fury slowly becoming unhinged at the mention of insults to his brother’s name. These demons see him as the lazy, scheming bastard that forced Lord Diavolo’s hand to impose different rules in Devildom; they often forgo that he is an Avatar of sins. 

The demon was about to land another punch on the human when Mammon grabbed his neck so tight that blood spewed out of the demon’s mouth. Lightning ran from his arms to the seizing body of the demon. He threw the demon’s body on the ground, ready to make it suffer for the rest of its miserable life when he hears Solomon call his name. In his arms the unconscious human. The two left the bar quickly, hurrying to the nearest alleyway to check on Crystal.

Mammon stared at the body as Solomon slowly laid her down on the hot pavement of Devildom. Multiple bruises building colour on her chest and face, including Lucifer’s hand marks that peaked by her dress. He’s sure there are a lot more under her clothes but he hoped that the damage was just until the bruises. Her lip bled, busted from the first punch.

“She’s alive thankfully and, shockingly, nothing is broken.” Solomon says as he hovers his glowing hand over her body. “Just a lot of heavy bruising and scratches, I can’t be sure about her neck though, she’ll be okay in a few days. I can heal her just enough so that she can show herself to Lucifer without  _ you _ getting scolded.” Mammon flinched.

“Humans are so damn weak…” he mumbles, not able to look away from the demons’ handiwork. Solomon gave him a blank look before shoving a bundle of flowers and herbs in her mouth and muttering spells that lit some of the bruises in a blue glow. “How did this even happen? I was keeping an eye on her the whole time.”

The sorcerer continued his spell, most of the glowing faded the bruises but some just lightened to green splotches. The ritual finished and Solomon threw the herb and flower bundle away. Mammon — who is already changed back to his normal form — carefully sat the human up, leaning her to a brick wall. Her face scrunched in pain as she was moved, but didn’t wake up. He takes off her now-bent glasses and the lens that popped out, shoving it into his pocket for keeping.

“You’re her lucky crow now. Don’t make me regret covering up for you.” Solomon says, looking at Mammon. The two white-haired men met each other’s eyes, falling to a silent agreement. A groan and whimper was heard from Crystal, who is slowly regaining her consciousness. Mammon quickly transforms back to a crow, flying back to Lamentation.

Crystal opened her eyes, her sensations throbbing; numb and disoriented. Her vision is dangerously blurry as lights danced in her eyes. She recognizes the colours as Devildom’s downtown streets, Solomon’s white-hair registered in her vision. Squinting, she sees worry on his face.

“Hey.” she croaks, her voice practically a wheeze of air.

“Don’t speak now, let the spell settle in. After that, I’m bringing you home, okay?” She gives a small nod, clutching the numb pulsing by her side. Solomon hands over her phone, there was a message from Lucifer announcing dinner in 2 hours. She replies back with a sticker confirming her presence in the table, before pocketing the phone and slumping over. Her breaths are labored and shallow, the slight smell of sulfur from Devildom’s air filling her mouth. 

The pair sat in silence, the warmth from the ground helped in easing the pain on her hips. Once she felt ready to get up, she uses the wall as leverage to stand. Staggering as she eases back to her balance, Solomon steadied her with a gentle hold by her arms.

“You’re numb now because of the spell, but in a few hours you will feel the pain. Don’t strain yourself too much.”

She nodded as he stood up. Crystal walked without Solomon’s help, and he didn’t offer any despite her wobbles and dazed look. She lost her glasses and it’s been quite hard to navigate around with the blur of sounds, lights, and thoughts rushing past. The two humans were silent, save for Solomon’s occasional directions and muses. She wanted to reply badly, but she could only nod and blink at his figure. They arrived in the grounds of RAD, continuing to the dorms of Lamentation. Solomon offers his shoulder for support through the shrubby forest and gravel ground of the dorm. He ushers her immediately to the porch, afraid of the spell wearing off and Crystal collapsing due to her injuries.

As Crystal closes the door behind her, she squints around for any presence of the brothers, before slowly navigating to her room. She was about to reach her door when she heard another door open behind her. Limping away from whoever she’s about to be confronted with, her panicked breaths rendered more pain which made her slow down and clutch her chest.

“Oh, Crystal it’s you!” Asmo greeted, his footsteps getting louder. “How was your date with Solomon? Is Devildom downtown any fun for you?”

She felt her throat clenched painfully. Wincing, she inhales shakily.

“T’is okay,” Crystal wheezed.

“What the hell, Crystal? What happened to your voice? You were limping earlier too.” Asmo paused, then gasps. Crystal curses her luck, even in Devildom they assume. “Don’t tell me — on the first date?!”

She was about to reply when she felt a sharper sting of pain, the throbbing sensation in her body getting to a subtle ache. Tears formed in her eyes as she winced and clutched the area tighter.

“H-hey, I was just joking… Are you okay? You’ve been acting weird — ” Asmo was already behind her, he turned her around gently. He gasps again at her state: tear-stained wide-eyes, a bloody lip and multiple bruises by her neck and face. Light purple and red spotted over her neck in the shape of fingers. Before he could ask what happened, the door slammed in his face; lock clicking.

Once inside, she dragged herself to the bathroom to treat whatever physical wounds Solomon’s magic couldn't touch. The heavy throbbing ached, she thought of grabbing an Aspirin when she remembers Devildom probably has other medicines for this. Or maybe demons didn’t need medicine at all? There is a first-aid kit by the cabinet, complete with arcane vials that have unfamiliar written symbols on it. Deciding not to mess with unknown medicine, she settled for washing her wounds and face with soap and water.

Crystal hissed a curse, she really couldn’t live in peace in Devildom. If it wasn’t for Solomon, her body might’ve been beef jerky. Her third day in this damned world — any one is out for her. Diavolo was right to assign her to the brothers, but she can’t depend on them at all. After cleaning up and bandaging some of the wounds, she slipped on her hoodie, tying it up in the same goblin fashion to hide her neck bruises.

She pressed an ear to the door, listening for any sign of the brothers. She opened the door slightly, peeking over the gap to make sure. After confirming a clear hallway, she made her way down the kitchen to grab some ice for the bruises.

A yeasty and smoky aroma floated to the doorway by the kitchen, someone was in the kitchen and she couldn’t tell who. Voices carried on a relaxed conversation, there were multiple demons about to see her miserable state. She closed her eyes and willed the universe that the people inside didn’t include Lucifer or Asmo.

“Hm? Someone is here.” She hears munching and muffled speaking. It must be Beelzebub, eating something by the fridge. Crystal doesn’t have much of an opinion on the tall demon just yet, she’s been cautious ever since Asmo’s statement of him on the first day.

She walked in the kitchen, warm lights and purple colours danced in her vision. Crystal squints, sure enough she sees Beelzebub’s orange hair and Satan’s blonde head. She sees them both face her, pausing from whatever they were doing, to wave at her. She waves back, relaxing her eyes.

“‘ello.” she greets, her voice husky and airy. She sees Satan blanch, Beelzebub continues eating, grunting a reply back.

“Crystal, what happened? Your lip…” Satan finally gets a thorough look at the human. She’s back to wearing the shabby hoodie with the hood tied tightly around her face; reminding him of nuns back in the human world. Except, nuns didn’t have busted lips and bruised chins. It was also his first time to see the human without the lenses on her face, her eyes are big and wide; like prey looking for an escape. “You don’t have your spectacles, can you see?”

Crystal shakes her head slowly. “Lost ‘em.” She held herself back from biting her lip. Demons almost killed her twice and she wasn’t bleeding, what makes her think that these ones — even if they’re Avatars of sins — can control themselves once her lip bleeds again? She scolds herself, they’re demons for fuck’s sake, not vampires. But she can’t help herself with the logic, especially since the Avatar of Gluttony is sitting a short distance away from her, clearly not getting any fuller. 

“You had too much fun with Solomon, you can’t even speak properly now.” Satan turns back to his cooking. “Once you get your voice back, tell us what happened, okay?”

If there is one thing she gathered from the brothers it’s that they always ask her to tell stories. For now, it’s usually her experiences in Devildom ;  if rumors didn’t already reach them. They don’t ask about the human world, not yet. It’s comforting to tell them about her day, but she’s afraid of slipping up her opinions since they are direct connections to Diavolo. Crystal can’t gauge how Diavolo influences them, but she knows that Lucifer will uphold Diavolo’s rules uptight. Then again, she’s not exactly playing an enemy’s line here: she’s just an unwilling participant for this program. Her opinions might matter enough to Diavolo if she could voice them properly.

Still, she is not willing to get scolded by Lucifer to be forced with Mammon. The mere thought of the white-haired demon playing nice to her makes her cringe. Crystal thanked whoever transported her clothes to include this big hoodie, no one will ever suspect a thing since she wore the hoodie twice in this style already. She nodded at Satan’s direction before going to the fridge to find an ice pack.

“If you’re hungry, most of them are on Beel’s table already…”

“Ice.” She breathes, pointing to the only visible bruise by her chin. Beel stands up from his seat and hovers over Crystal. The orange-haired demon whacks the wall by the freezer once and clumps of ice fall over. Crystal flinches and keeps her hands in, staring at Beel as he pulls a cloth from his jacket pocket.

“Here, use this.” Crystal nods as she takes the cloth and a handful of ice. After tying her make-shift ice pack, she pushes it on her bruise. Sighing in relief, she smiles carefully at Beel. He goes back to his table, scooching over to leave a space open. Crystal sits down and appreciates the comfortable silence in the kitchen.

Remnants of Solomon’s magic softly hummed as her body throbbed with the dull pain. She closes her eyes as she puts the ice pack away, letting her bruise thaw. The pain is getting more prominent by the hour, but she has to push her way through and make face with Lucifer. She promised, after all, and she might’ve insulted him again on her way out.

“Satan,” she croaks, feeling pain from every syllable. “Help with Lucifer?” 

She sees his blur of blonde turn to her then back on stirring again. The silence became heavier as even Beel’s chewing slowed down. A sigh then the light from the stove dies, Satan’s figure nearing, becoming clearer to her view. He pulls a seat and sits in front for her, his vibrant eyes meeting her dark ones. She feels the slight brewing anger in him, masked by confusion and concern.

“Crystal, you can’t fool us. I won’t force you to tell what happened but Lucifer would’ve found out about this eventually.” He paused, looking at Beel who pushes one of the things he’s eating to the human. She smiled as thanks, taking a small bite of the frozen Pulsana fruit tart. Crystal swallowed it immediately, dismissing the taste and wincing at the pain.

“I honestly don’t know what to tell you, but you have spunk to stand up to Lucifer; I respect that. Besides, we also promised to Diavolo that we will protect you too.” Satan says as he and Beel stand up together and gather the plates to set the table. Crystal tries to stand but is stopped by Beel.

“Stay. We’ll call you over.”

The human sits and purses her lips. Her hand reaches for the ice pack and pushes it on her bruise again, willing it to disappear before Lucifer sees her state. Crystal mentally prepares herself on facing Lucifer. Solomon said that his magic healed her enough to be able to put up a front to him, but she can already feel the traces fading. Plus, she has classes tomorrow. Who knows if demons in RAD would still chase her around? She can’t stay in bed and heal, it would take days; especially without any medicine. Besides curbing Diavolo’s suspicions, getting remedial classes would be a pain. Crystal also wants to see Simeon, Solomon and probably meet Luke.

Crystal berated herself for her useless worries. Diavolo knowing about her problem might actually help ease the rebellious demons’ antics, but then again, the demon prince isn’t just the president of the RAD student council; his position holds rule and politics in this realm. She doesn’t want to find out how deep the shit is in the legislature here and she also doesn’t want any of this to progress to a tension that could snap Devildom’s peace any moment.

Crystal tries to predict Lucifer’s possible reaction to her. Anger, for sure. Would it be directed at her? Probably. It sucks because it wasn’t her fault, none of this wouldn’t have happened if she wasn’t transported here. She wonders if Lucifer would come and raise hell to the demons who beat her, she also wonders if she can still eat at Hell’s Kitchen. A buzz from her pocket indicated a message in her phone, it was from Solomon.

**Solomon** :  _ Are you okay? Can you still hold out? _

**Crystal** : just peachy

**Crystal** : I was wondering if u have any thing for tmrw

**Solomon** :  _ tomorrow? _

**Crystal** : I cant go to school like this

**Solomon** :  _ No. You are staying in tomorrow. _

**Crystal** : no i have to go!!! Bros will become susp!!

A check symbol appeared by her message balloon, a few seconds passed and no sign of Solomon replying to her any time soon. She made the mistake of huffing which triggered a sharp pain that made her mind go blank. 

Beel found the human slumped over and drooling.

He slowly sat her up and watched her pupils roll down to consciousness. Her injuries are more severe than she lets on and Beel made sure to handle her as gentle as he could. Beel expected that there would be a few demons to bother her at least, but he didn’t see through that they’d just come for her so blatantly violent. The human gave him a quipped smile — everything she did was quipped and controlled. Polite, tense. She wipes the drool off her mouth.

“Are you sure you can do this?” Beel asked. He knows she’s doing this for Lucifer; for show. The scent of herbs and smoke wafted around her as he recognized the sorcerer’s hand in this. Once the smell starts leaking, the healing charm is bound to wear off around 20 minutes at best. The human nods, patting her stomach slowly. The Avatar of Gluttony knows, more than anyone, the feeling of hollow hunger and agrees to help her up to the dining room.

Crystal isn’t really hungry, but she sat down at her usual place. Satan and Beel eyed her warily as she avoided their gaze. She fiddled with the strings of her hoodie as she heard footsteps coming from the entrance. Lucifer walks in fast-paced, dragging a stern-faced Asmo who is gripping his arm. The eldest looked more tired and pissed than usual, his eyes narrowed and the wrinkle between his brows more prominent. Mammon was behind them, his jaw clenched and expression unreadable. Crystal squinted at Asmo and the demon avoided her eyes. Now she has a hunch on whoever snitched to Lucifer.

The meal started once everyone sat down. Despite the sounds of cutlery and plates, the tense atmosphere laid a heavy blanket of silence over the residents of Lamentation. Mammon scoffs nervously. 

“Damn, is it really goin’ ‘ta be like this every time we have a meal?” he complains. Crystal felt guilty as she looked down on her plate. It must’ve not been common for the brothers to have 2 strained silence meals in a row. She shuts her eyes and weakly convinces herself that it’s better than making a work of herself for everyone. Lucifer looks at her pointedly, a déjà-vu feeling, as she reaches for some soup. The least she could do now is eat and get through with her promise to Lucifer, after that she can collapse in her bed and deal with everything tomorrow. 

Lucifer, of course, knows about the whole fiasco already.

He was browsing through the news during his break when he read through the article of a brawl in Hell’s Kitchen. Which isn't anything new by itself, but when he saw Mammon’s crow form morph to his normal form with a sour and distant expression, he had a feeling something had happened. It didn’t take long to wheedle it out of the second eldest (Mammon can never lie to him) and Lucifer gripped his stress stone so hard it condensed to a crystal. When they got Satan’s call for dinner, Lucifer sat up so fast and was out of the door before Mammon could ask him to calm down. Asmodeus saw Lucifer’s expression and immediately went into a whirl of topics to try divert the boiling rage of the eldest.

In the dining room, Crystal spooned some bright yellow soup in her lips, letting the herby and peppery liquid naturally flow down her throat. Levi clicked his tongue as he scoops out a hefty serving of the questionable meat stew to her. She stops him by waving her hand to him.

“You can’t keep making me suggest you food like this. Get some! You’re supposed to adapt to Devildom food and tell me what you think about it.” Levi huffed, pushing the ladle further. Crystal insists as she gives him a forced smile and pushes the ladle back. The Avatar of Envy was stronger of course, and was able to get the stew mixed on her plate. Crystal stared as the two unlikely colours mixed to a greyish purple. 

“You also can’t keep on sipping on soup, you need the nutrition. I know it’s very different but one day you-”

“Levi.” Satan interrupts. “Please —  let her eat whatever she wants.” Levi shuts up immediately and focuses on his food. Crystal continues to only consume the liquid portion of her meal.

“Yes, Satan. ‘Let her eat whatever she wants’ then she can eat whatever Levi put on her plate right?” Lucifer replies calmly, his pettiness barely hides the edge in his voice. He sets down his utensils and crosses his arms, challenging Satan’s offended glare. Red-black eyes stared intensely at the black hooded human. Crystal suppresses the growing heaviness in her throat by pursing her lips. She doesn’t dare look up, but she can feel the familiar heavy purple aura the two brothers probably have. Lucifer’s barely unhinged rage and Satan’s cracking mask made her clutch her spoon and opted to swirl the food on her plate.

“She’ll eat it when she  _ wants _ to. It’s optional.” the blonde demon presses. “It’s out of the question if she could, because she can.”

Crystal repeated a mantra in her head: Don’t cry. Everything is temporary. I wish they’d just let me be, I have it all under-control. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. She willed it; summoning what power she could to send out the intention to the universe. She places her hands on her thighs to hide it shaking. She digs her pointer finger by the stretchy skin of her thumb, forcing herself to focus on the pain rather than the escalating argument between Satan and Lucifer. There was another pain that was pushing her to tears and the rock in her throat didn’t help.

She presses her eyes shut, praying to the universe. Crystal just wants to go. Go where? Anywhere else. This has been her same prayer in the overworld and she’s ‘anywhere else’ now. Why is she still praying this again?

“Lucifer, for fuck’s sake, sit down! Just— eat.” Asmo’s frantic voice shouted over the two. Beel’s appetite is already slowing and he’s only on the 5th serving. Levi is poking at his food while Mammon stares warily between Lucifer, Satan, and Crystal. “Look, there’s a time for everything and now it’s dinner time.” Asmo’s quote made Lucifer’s eye twitch. He looks away and sits down, absentmindedly cutting the sauced cartilage he’s been shoving around the plate. The meal continued with unease, most of the brothers foregoing their appetite. Crystal continues to repeat the words in her head, desperately putting a cap on her overflowing emotions. As she rubs her nails, she wonders what other ways she could’ve done things without putting such a strain in their relationship. She didn’t mean for things to escalate this way, the plan was: dinner, make face, go to sleep and deal with it. Not ‘set up a new normal for the brothers where everything is tense and anyone can snap.’

Hot tears filled her vision and quickly dripped on her thighs. As long as she doesn’t make a sound, maybe they’ll leave her alone. She’ll apologize in the morning. She’ll talk to Diavolo to get another human in. She’ll figure out where her anywhere else would be and it's sure as hell not here. 

Crystal barely kept her hiccups that made her wince.

Lucifer clicked his tongue, clearly irritated. “Why aren’t you eating.”

The human keeps her head down, the other demon brothers continue to eat except for Mammon. Her body soldiers on another shake, this time she finally faces Lucifer’s stare. 

Something in Lucifer finally snapped as he lunged at the human, forcibly pulling down her hood and loosening the string where her bruises were hidden. Crystal couldn’t cry out as the pain got worse, the memory of strong arms locking her neck clouding in her mind. The human starts to scratch out the neck of her hoodie.

Lucifer gripped the head of Crystal’s chair, his horns and wings materializing like an opening fan. The eldest has this air of eternal strain but his expression is bitter as his wings flapped wildly, the table and the rest of the brothers pushed away by the sheer power of the 2 black-feathered pairs.

“Why haven’t you said anything? You think you’re so capable? Look at you, you bruise at the slightest touch.” Gloved hands grazed lightly over the hyperventilating human’s shoulder. He knows these hands,  _ he _ put them there. Added to the other more that mar her body and she didn’t even cry out to him. 

“This is how it is being a human! If you don’t tell me what’s happening, how am I supposed to follow through my promise? I’m the eldest, stop making me run out of options…!” Lucifer feels hands around him but he will not budge, not again. Crystal’s vision is already darkening; sweat, tears and drool muck her face as she fails to come back to reality. Both their minds are elsewhere.

Beel blinks his tears in and buries his face by Lucifer’s nape, embracing him gently. Mammon easily pries the eldest off the human who is about to pass out. Satan moves the human away from far from their eldest. There were no tears on Lucifer’s pale face, just a pained expression he made only once a few centuries ago.

Mammon immediately switches to damage-control, he ushers Asmo to bring his Morning-After fume to Crystal’s room and asks Satan and Levi to clean up. He goes over to the mourning pair and joins in the hug. Briefly remembering the same pain they had dealt with once before. After which, he asks Beel to escort Lucifer back to his room to rest.

Mammon carries the unconscious human this time.


End file.
